Please read Stephan Joubert’s notorious comment on his blog here before you venture to read my rebuttal. If, as Stephan Joubert says, the followers of Jesus are no longer sinners in the ethical sense of the word, then it follows that they no longer need to approach the mercy seat of God in heaven (Hebrews 10:19-21). In fact, his claim that the term sinner can only be applied to someone in the soteriological and not the ethical sense of the word is an outrageous refutation of the fact that the followers of Jesus do indeed need to obey God’s magnanimous invitation to enter into the holy of holies in heaven “. . . so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). In his Notes on the Bible Barnes wrote:
That we may obtain mercy – This is what we want first. We need pardon – as the first thing when we come to God. We are guilty and self-condemned – and our first cry should be for “mercy” – “mercy.” A man who comes to God not feeling his need of mercy must fail of obtaining the divine favor; and he will be best prepared to obtain that favor who has the deepest sense of his need of forgiveness. (Emphasis added).
Salvation is not a once-off experience followed by nothing else. Salvation is an ongoing process which will only be finalized when all the believers receive a body like the one Jesus Christ was raised with from the dead. Our present bodies are predisposed to sinning and that is precisely why Paul beseeches us in Romans 12 to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God. Indeed, in Romans 6 he admonishes believers not to yield their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield themselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Paul would never have exhorted believers (followers of Christ) not to yield their bodies as instruments of unrighteousness to sin if they weren’t sinners. And yet Stephan Joubert bellows from the top of his emergent mountain that “God never refers to people who experience his grace in Christ as sinners” and that “sinners are people who are still trapped in UNgrace.” Really . . .?
According to Hebrews 6:14 grace is undeserved but it is also simultaneously something to be obtained and it can only be obtained by entering into the most holy of holies in heaven through the blood of Christ, for it is His blood alone that gives us the boldness to approach an infinitely holy God. A follower of Christ who claims to be sinless does not need to obtain God’s mercy through the blood of Christ, simply because his alleged sinlessness exempts him from the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. He does not need it because he is already sinless. It follows that the alleged sinless follower of Christ is the one who is living in UNgrace and not the sinners whose “words and deeds advertise a 24/7@365 addiction to thoughts, words and deeds of UNgrace.” The Stephan Joubert brand of followers of Christ are the ones who are trapped in UNgrace because they are sinless and therefore do not need to obtain mercy (grace) from God in his most holy sanctuary in heaven through the blood of Christ. You don’t need what you already have which in Joubert’s case is a state of sinlessness. As I have already said, his status of sinlessness exempts him from the need to obtain mercy from God in heaven through the blood of Christ. Has Stephan Joubert never read 1 John 2: verses 1 and 2?
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins (the followers of Christ): and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2) (Emphasis added).
“My little children” obviously refers to God’s redeemed children whom He exhorts not to sin. Now why would He do that when, according to Stephan Joubert, his little children or followers of Christ are no longer sinners? The answer is given in 1 John 1:8-10.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Any person who denies that followers of Christ are still sinners, despite the fact that they have already been redeemed for all eternity, does not only make God a liar but
also denies the need for the followers of Christ to confess their sins. Any Tom Dick and Harry will tell you that anyone who claims to be sinless is also confession-less. Those who claim that they are no longer sinners do not need Jesus Christ and therefore cannot possibly claim that they are his followers. Christ who is now seated at the right hand of God holds the position of High Priest according to the order of Mechizedek for one single reason only — to make intercession for us, the redeemed of Christ (Hebrews 7:25).
Stephan Joubert brazenly asserts that “not even in 1 Timothy 1 where, at first sight, it seems as if Paul is referring to himself as a sinner in his role as follower of Jesus” does “God refer to people who experience his grace in Christ as sinners.” Well now, what about 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 where Paul speaks directly to the followers of Christ. If the followers of Christ are no longer sinners and no longer prone to sin Paul would never have warned them against the sin of fornication.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1Th 4:3-7) (Emphasis added)
If the followers of Christ were no longer sinners their sanctification would have been complete and they would no longer be in need of a High Priest. Indeed, they would have been thoroughly GOOD and PERFECT. And what did Jesus say about being GOOD? — “There is none good but one, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18). Only God is completely without sin and therefore thoroughly GOOD. And yet Stephan Joubert says to the face of the One whom he claims to follow: “No, no, no, no, no! Not only are you thoroughly GOOD. All the followers of Jesus Christ (especially those in the Emergent Church) are also thoroughly GOOD. So, with due respect, Sir, You may call us GOD because we are thoroughly GOOD.” The very slightest deviation from being thoroughly GOOD would immediately taint your thoroughly goodness and for your information, Mr. Stephan Joubert, the very slightest taint is called SIN. Can you, Mr. Stephan Joubert, look Jesus in the face and say to Him: “Thank you Jesus, I have never tainted my thoroughly GOOD life since I was saved. I am no longer a sinner.” I must admit, I can’t claim to be without sin. The terms “sins” and “sinners” are indeed a soteriological (salvivic) concept. But the question is: When is Jesus Christ’s salvivic work in his followers finalized? Does it end the moment they are saved. If that were true Paul could never have written passages like the following.
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Heb 7:24-25). (Emphasis added).
It is evident that the followers of Jesus have of yet not been saved to the uttermost. It simply means that although they already have been gifted with eternal life through their faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross, they cannot enter heaven with their present and temporal bodies. “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. “ (1 Corinthians 15:50). The followers of Christ will only be saved to the uttermost when Jesus returns at his Rapture when they will receive their new bodies like the one with which He was raised from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). To deceive others is probably the worst sin imaginable because it draws them onto roads and paths that seem to be following Christ but actually lead to destruction. John the apostle of love emphatically states that anyone who denies that he or she is a sinner is deceived and the truth is not in them. They are void of any truth. In other words, they do not have Jesus Christ who is the essence of truth. They are lost. In fact, they are committing one of the most heinous sins by calling God a liar. They are putting God in the very same cadre as Satan who has been a liar from the very beginning. (John 8:44). A genuine follower of Jesus Christ is a redeemed sinner who walks in the light as He is in the light and He walks in the light to be cleansed continually by the blood of Jesus. The cleansing power of Christ’s blood is effective ONLY in the light. Whosoever walks in darkness cannot possibly see his/her own sins, the result being that he/she cannot see their need for the cleansing power of Christ’s blood. (John 3:19-21). A window may seem to be spotless after you have washed it with Windolene. And yet, when the sun’s rays hit the window head-on you begin to see all the little dirty spots you have missed. Only then can you clean the window more thoroughly. Jesus’ light works in the same way. It is in His light that we begin to see all the little dirty spots in our lives. But praise be to God, His blood and His blood alone is able and ready to cleanse us of all our sins and unrighteousness, ONLY when we admit that we have sinned against Him and confess them openly and honestly to God. Whosoever denies that he/she is a sinner cannot possibly claim to be walking in the light as He is in the light. Indeed, they cannot possibly claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. They are following another Jesus. Jesus once said:
“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.” (Philippians 1:6).
It means that there is still a lot of work to be done in a saint’s life, simply because there are still tons of dross in the life of a follower of Jesus. Perfection and completion will only be fully realized when Jesus returns at the Rapture. But right now He is sitting like a Refiner and like fullers’ soap to refine his followers.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:2-3)
Do you remember when Jesus washed his disciples feet that Peter at first declined Jesus’ offer to cleanse his feet?
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. (John 13:8-10)
Jesus Christ’s followers are already clean (redeemed for all eternity) but their feet pick up the dust of the world during their earthly sojourn (are often contaminated by the dainties of the world when they partake therein). These things need to be washed and cleansed in the blood of Christ. Apparently Stephen Joubert and his brand of Christ followers have no need of this. What did Jesus say? Unless I wash you, you have no part with (in) Me [you have no share in companionship with Me].
Does this answer the vital question: Who are the real followers of Jesus Christ?
