2025 Bible Study Group

[GodfatherPartTwo]

1 John 5

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Whenever someone tells me that we can't know if we're saved, or when they make some stupid argument against the Bible and it's sufficiency, I simply point them to this verse and tell them they don't believe in the Bible, what the Apostles taught. These things have been written so that you who believe in Christ may know (not guess, hope, wonder, doubt) that you have eternal life.

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

This is a prominent passage in the Protestant/Catholic dialectic. The Catholic view is that this passage teaches that there are two kinds of sin, mortal and venial. Mortal sin destroys the grace of Justification and Venial sin hurts your relationship with God but does not destroy it. If you commit a mortal sin, you will be damned if you die, but you can still regain Justification through the sacraments, enter a state of grace again and thus be saved. The textual problem with that is that John precludes the possibility of "reentering a state of grace" in verse 16 when he says "do not make request for this." In other words, don't even pray for this.

Jesus said that all sins are forgivable except for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, neither in this age or the one to come. I believe that's what John is warning about here and what Hebrews warns about in a couple of places. If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, it's over. There is no forgiveness for it.

18 We know that no one who has been born of God sins; but He who was begotten of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

As Paul said in Romans 8, the inner man, the new man, the Regenerate heart does not sin. But we all still sin experientially. That is the old man in us, our weakness. That sin, that weakness, is not imputed to us because in Christ we are regenerate and the Spirit is sanctifying us. God is keeping us and the devil can't take us away, in fulfillment of Jesus' prayer to the Father in John 17:15. This is why we don't believe that you can "lose your salvation." For we would also have to believe that Christ's prayer is worthless, that God is not able to keep us, and that the devil can snatch us from His hand. All utter impossibilities.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

If you are not trusting in Christ alone to be your God and Savior then you are still trusting in idols. Smash the idols and treat Christ as Lord of your hearts.

 

[Gazza]

Got a ESV Lutheran study bible the other day. Has some great notes, references, devotions and even some fantastic illustrations in it. Really helps with this thread.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

Jonah 1

1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me.” 3Yet Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.

You see that it was not by Jonah's free will but by God's providence that he became a prophet. If Jonah had his way, he would've escaped the Lord. If Moses had his, he would not have gone to Egypt. If Paul had his, the Church would've been destroyed. Yet it was God's will to convert all these men, some more violently than others, to do His will.

But Jonah had gone down below into the innermost part of the vessel, lain down, and fallen deep asleep.

Interesting thematic contrast between Jonah being asleep in the boat, then being "asleep" in the whale.

7 Then each man said to the other, “Come, let us have the lots fall so we may know on whose account this calamitous evil has struck us.”

While God would've been in His right to destroy the entire ship and it's crew for being idolaters, it was on account of Jonah that He sent the storm. Keep this in mind for the rest of the book. There is a reversal of the standard story, that God is graceful to His people but severe to those who aren't His people. In Jonah, the roles are almost reversed.

12So Jonah said to them, “Lift me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will become quiet for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13However, the men rowed desperately to return to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy against them. 14Then they called on Yahweh and said, “Ah! O Yahweh, we earnestly pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life, and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Yahweh, as You have pleased You have done.”

Keep in mind that Jonah is the only Hebrew and that these men are Gentiles. Yet they show some grace to him by not wanting to throw him overboard, perhaps more grace than a Hebrew would expect from Gentiles. They became afraid that God would hold them accountable for throwing Jonah off and they even believe in God's sovereignty: as You have pleased, so You have done.

15 So they lifted Jonah up and hurled him into the sea, and the sea stood still from its raging. 16Then the men greatly feared Yahweh, and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows.

The language of "lifting up" in Scripture usually carries salvific undertones. Noah's Ark was "lifted up." Moses "lifted up" the bronze serpent. The Son of Man was "lifted up." Here, Jonah is lifted up and thrown into the abyss, which stopped the raging sea. It is a sacrificial picture that points forward to Christ, the one true sacrifice.

17 And Yahweh appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

After he is "sacrificed," Jonah remained in the abyss, in the belly of the beast for three days and three nights.

When Christ ministered to the unbelieving generation of His day, He told them He would give them no sign but the sign of Jonah, the Son of Man would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. And just as Jonah's sacrifice led to the belief of the Gentiles on the boat. Even more does Christ's sacrifice make believers out of us. The sea was stilled and God's Justice was satisfied.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

Jonah 2

Interesting bit of trivia: if you look into the history of Davy Jones, the folk character, there is good reason to believe that he is a rendition of Jonah.

In the Bible, guilt and death are interwoven concepts. If you are guilty, you will be given the death penalty, you are as good as dead. In this sense, a Christian confession is like dying. But as John says, Christ will not leave us there. He will resurrect us, He will make us innocent. Like Adam, Jonah ran from God. But when he volunteers himself to be thrown into the sea, he comes clean.

1 Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the stomach of the fish, 2and he said, “I called out of my distress to Yahweh, And He answered me. I cried for help from the belly of Sheol; You heard my voice.

Jonah certainly undergoes a figurative death and resurrection, perhaps even a literal one. He has passed through the hellmouth. The genre switches here. The rest of the book being a narrative but this chapter is poetry.

3 For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current surrounded me. All Your breakers and waves passed over me. 4 So I said, ‘I have been driven away from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’

Jonah has resurrection hope even in the midst of his death. When Christ quoted Psalm 22 on the cross, He wanted us to see that He also had resurrection hope even as he bled and died.

5 Water encompassed me to my very soul. The great deep surrounded me, Weeds were wrapped around my head.

Couldn't help but notice that Jonah has a crowning image as well, not of thorns but of seaweed.

8 Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their lovingkindness, 9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

Jonah anticipates his resurrection life. Notice how sacrifice and thanksgiving are coupled together. This is acceptable worship in the sight of God. He not only wants service, but service with a smile. Many people sacrifice to God, but they do not do it from a place of thanks, and so God does not regard their sacrifice. It's a tale as old as time. If you want your worship of God to be acceptable, do it from a spirit of thanks. How? By first looking at what Christ has done for you. When you see the pains He bore, the Hell He saved you from, and the sins He's forgiven you for, what else can you do but give thanks?

10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

God loves to do the impossible for those who are in Christ. Jonah still has his role to play in God's plan.