Condemned Already and the Parable of the Unclean Spirit
Part One
John 3:18
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God
In the above verse we see where the difference between those who believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God “Jesus Christ,” versus those who do not believe in the name of Jesus Christ, is what determines whether or not they are “condemned already”. While on one hand it is clearly said those who do not believe are condemned already, what is not clearly said is what they are condemned to?
The vast majority of church doctrines, theologians, clergy, etc., will tell you that to be condemned in the above verse means those persons have already been condemned to hell for all eternity. However, how well does this doctrine hold up when examined through the laws God gave us to determine the truth? First, let’s look at the words of Paul.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
In this verse the author of Hebrews makes it very clear that a person does not face judgment until after their death. However, in keeping with the laws of God for determining the truth, we need to find a second witness before we can allow this to become church doctrine acceptable to God for the edification of His children. In addition, and in accordance to these same laws for determining truth we must also be able to confirm there are not any verses being overlooked contrary to people not being eternally condemned to hell before they die.
Luke 12:20
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
When we look in the Strong’s Lexicon for the definition behind the word “required” used in the above verse we see that it means to “take back,” in order to demand a payment. In other words God told this man who was overly confident concerning the value of his earthly goods that “this night,” he would not only die but his soul would immediately appear before God to be judged for better or for worse for all of the things he had done while living on earth. Consequently, we now have the necessary two witnesses within the Scriptures both stating that a person is not condemned to anything eternally while they still remain alive on earth let alone being sentenced to a never-ending existence living in excruciating torture.
Unfortunately, ever since the fall in the garden the spirit of man (Adam), and the soul of man (Eve), along with the serpent’s seed crawling in the dust of the earth that makes up our flesh, all appear together within the physical body causing the spirit and soul of all mankind to be born under the dominion of Satan. It is the spirit and soul of the natural man that makes up the kingdoms of the world Satan offered to Jesus if He would bow down and worship him. Without the Holy Spirit available only through the Cross of Jesus Christ living within them, unregenerate persons have only the unclean spirit of man under the dominion of Satan influencing their decision-making process through the individual’s concept of good and evil. Therefore, because they do not have the power and knowledge of the Holy Spirit needed to overcome sin, eventually they will yield to the temptations Satan puts before them. Consequently, and to answer the original question, until one is baptized with the Holy Spirit they are forever condemned to living under the dominion of Satan.
In the natural state everyone is automatically born into, they (the spirit of man) remain condemned to living a life ruled through the knowledge of good and evil that is under the dominion of Satan. This is the way it has been since the fall back in the Garden of Eden, and is the condition everyone will remain in until through the life found in the blood of Jesus Christ is sprinkled upon their heart, they may be baptized with the same spirit that brought Jesus into the world, a.k.a. the Holy Spirit. At this point Christians have been given the power to become sons of God, thus empowering them to overcome sin providing their faith continues to grow in knowledge of the truth found in the Word of God. The difference between having access to the power seen in the spirit given to Jesus at His birth, versus having access to the power seen coming from the life and persona of Jesus Christ being resurrected in them, is the mind of Christ! For this reason, and because the apostles already had the mind of Christ, Paul exhorts us to forgo the mind of man and obtain the mind of Christ (1Cor.2: 16, 15: 33-37, Phil.2: 5).
Now that we understand what an unbeliever is condemned to, as well as what they are not condemned to, we need to ask ourselves what was the reason and purpose behind Jesus saying what he did? The answer to the first part is without someone being baptized in the Holy Spirit they are unable to break free from the dominion of Satan’s kingdom ruling over them. The answer to the second part is those who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit are not only given the power to break free from Satan’s dominion, they are expected to do so, and those who fail to do so will be judged accordingly! While most of the blame will fall on the clergy for not teaching the truth causing the people to err and stray from the path of their sanctification; all have the same access to Bibles, and through His Holy Spirit we all have access to the same truth. Therefore, all are required and expected to learn the truth that will allow them to overcome sin. (1Cor.15:34)
John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
2 Peter 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Christians still committing sins are doing so because they have fallen back under the dominion of Satan who rules over the spirit of man still remaining in Christians even after they have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Because Christ cannot sin it is obvious that when a Christian commits a sin is because the Holy Spirit given to them is not the spirit who is ruling their heart. This is the problem in all too many churches where the truth is no longer taught thus allowing the spirit of man to regain control of both the heart of the individual members and the corporate body at large. In turn this has caused the disappearance of the blessings and miracles being done by God from being witnessed by the congregation because the same presence of sin that causes death causes God to depart the church. Therefore, the signs and wonders that have always separated the true worshippers of God from the other religions of the world are no longer associated with the chosen people of God who are the seed counted as a generation.
Many of these same churches witnessed miracles in their beginning, but since the truth of the resurrection and eternal judgment along with the knowledge of spiritual things has for the most part disappeared from the church, nowdays there is as much sin within the church as there is within the secular world. However, the secular world committing sin is not a problem, but for us sin in the church is a major problem, and is the reason why we do not see the same presence and blessings from God today as experienced by the first century church. In the next verse John identifies for us what it is that is causing sin to appear in churches today, and the reason why Christians still sin.
1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Throughout the New Testament there is a multitude of verses that speak of people coming to Christ and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, but unfortunately return to a life of sin because they were not taught the truth that would have kept them away from sin. Quite often we hear in the church the reason why Christians still sin is either because they “were not truly saved,” or because it is impossible for anyone to ever overcome sin. The truth behind why most Christians fall back into sin is not because they were “never saved,” or because they want to, but because they were not taught the truth that could have kept them separated from sin! This is the message within David’s walk through the valley of death (the affairs of the world) where he feared no evil, as well as one of the lessons in Job where we learn the only thing that can limit how far Satan can go to snare us is the limitations God puts on him! Therefore, the only thing that can keep us from sin is the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus who is the free gift of salvation given unto us, and our only hope for overcoming sin.
Conclusion in Part Two
Blessings
Doug
Threaded Mode
