Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Some non-exhaustive thoughts on 1 John 1: 5-10


Wyoming, (a Mac desktop picture)

I have been thinking about 1 John 1: 5-10.

From the NASB:

NASB

God Is Light
5(A)This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that (B)God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6(C)If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we (D)lie and (E)do not practice the truth;

7but if we (F)walk in the Light as (G)He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and (H)the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8(I)If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the (J)truth is not in us.

9(K)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and (L)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10(M)If we say that we have not sinned, we (N)make Him a liar and (O)His word is not in us.

R.W. Orr seems to have some good insights. Concerning verse 7 he writes that Jesus who died on the cross did a work that 'purifies us'. Orr (1986: 1575). Orr notes that the Apostle John includes himself in receiving this benefit. This cleansing is a continual repeated cleansing and is distinguished from the 'bath' of regeneration noted in John 13: 10. Orr (1986: 1575). These repeated cleansings are confirmation that the first regeneration did occur, and that a person that does not understand the need for continual cleansing was not regenerated in the first place. Orr (1986: 1575).

In verse 8, Orr writes that the 'root principle of sin' has not been eradicated from our hearts. This was an error of the Gnostics. Orr (1986: 1575). Orr writes that when we confess our sin (verse 9), God is faithful and righteous to forgive, and in verse 10, if we deny that we sin we are deceitful and deny the testimony of God's word. Orr (1986: 1575).

The atoning and resurrection work of Christ regenerates or 'baths' a person once, and all past, present, and future sins are forgiven. I reason that a believer does not need to continually ask God for forgiveness of sins, as a person believes and trusts in Christ in the regeneration process and seeks forgiveness of sins, but a Christian should confess sins and ask for purging of these sins in cleansing.

1 John 1: 7


Word Detail
Word/Inflected Form Lemma Part of Speech Lexical Entry
καθαρίζει (2) καθαρίζω (161) Verb to make clean, to cleanse
Parsing 3rd Person Present Active Indicative Singular
Related Words καθαίρω φοιβάω ἁγνίζω ἐκκαθαίρω
1 John 1:7


1 John 1: 9

Word Detail
Word/Inflected Form Lemma Part of Speech Lexical Entry
καθαρίσῃ (5) καθαρίζω (161) Verb to make clean, to cleanse
Parsing 3rd Person Aorist Active Subjunctive Singular
Related Words καθαίρω φοιβάω ἁγνίζω ἐκκαθαίρω
1 John 1:9

ὁμολογῶμεν-confess, to assent, i.e. covenant, acknowledge


ORR, R.W. (1986) ‘1 John’, in F.F. Bruce (gen.ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/ Zondervan.

End of part one

I do not eat at fast food restaurants very much. I order a pizza probably twice a month. I go to Dairy Queen probably six times a year. Dairy Queen is my favourite fast food burger place. Now having visited my brother and family in Arizona and having been to Florida and other states, I realize that the United States has more fast food corporations to choose from than does BC. However, among Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and A&W, I prefer Dairy Queen.

Okay, here is my BEEF with McDonalds and Burger King. With all the negative in the media concerning questionable quality food, questionable nutritional value, wages paid to most employees that are difficult to make a living with, and questions concerning how fast food is produced, why are so many McDonalds and Burger King restaurants filthy?

Not only do I generally prefer Dairy Queen food to that of McDonalds and Burger King, but Dairy Queen restaurants are often reasonably clean. Sometimes at a Dairy Queen I need to wipe the table. At one local restaurant when the owner sees me do that he sends someone out to clean the table or does it himself. At so many McDonalds and Burger King restaurants I have eaten at, especially ones in Vancouver and Burnaby, the places are filthy. I do realize these places have many customers in short periods of time, but I reason there is time to clean tables after most meals.

My thoughts:

The local franchise management at times accepts that they are selling low quality food that is not healthy and the need for customers to eat in a clean environment in not that important.

The employees are paid little, and the management does not develop a professionalism with the employees that the restaurant needs to be first class in regard to food quality, service and cleanliness. My suggestion, pay employees a little more and develop the restaurants as places for career potential.

McDonalds and Burger King should find ways of producing better quality food that is more healthy, develop professionalism with the employees and keep restaurants clean. They should also make sure critics do not have much to criticize!

Perhaps the executive boards of McDonalds and Burger King really are tired of their jobs and the millions they make a year and figure it is time to let certain individual franchisees run their respective names into the ground.;)

Ronald McJoker states:

'I'll clean up those dirty McDonalds and Burger King restaurants for you, no problem.'






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