“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
~ 1 John 5:19
Hi James and Ellen,
Planet Earth is under the control of the devil. The devil is Satan. Satan’s goal is to completely destroy hope. Apostle John had a handle on hope. Apostle John espoused love. Apostle John had God – as God the Spirit, have him scribe a letter that confronts the evil one and offers hope. 1 John 5 ends Apostle John’s first short missive that confronts the teachings of misguided guys – who were probably Gnostics, who adamantly denied the incarnation of God – as God the Son – Jesus Christ, and who lived without moral and/or ethical restraints. Apostle John scribed in what became verse 19 “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” Children of God are souls who God – as God the Father, before He created planet Earth elected to be His adopted kids. God – as God the Father, predestined an appointed day and time for each of His elected kids to make a decision of faith. God – as God the Son, became the real life catalyst Who set free His Father’s elected kids so that they can make a decision of faith. God – as God the Father, has premiums ready to give to His elected kids – which a kid will receive at the exact moment that he or she makes his or her decision of faith. A decision of faith is a conscious acquiescence by one of the souls who God – as God the Father, elected before He created planet Earth to be one of His adopted kids – when he or she unreservedly believes what God – as God the Son – Jesus Christ, did when He allowed His body to be nailed to a cross and on which He literally died. The life of every kid whose soul God – as God the Father, elected before He created planet Earth was ransomed, justified and sanctified at the exact moment when God – as God the Son – Jesus Christ, allowed His body to suffer and His blood to flow while being nailed to the cross. A kid whose soul God – as God the Father, elected will unconditionally receive the eternal life gift at the very moment that he or she makes his or her decision of faith. A kid whose soul God – as God the Father, elected can testify of a new understanding that he or she has after making his or her decision of faith. A kid whose soul God – as God the Father, elected – if he or she is not already a guy or gal, will testify after he or she has made a decision of faith, that his or her life is now identified with God – as God the Son, that he or she no longer has a desire to continue to do and be evil, that he or she senses being safe in the hands of God – as God the Father, and that he or she is being guarded by God – as God the Spirit, against the evil one wanting to cause pain and injury to him or her. Guys and gals whose souls God – as God the Father, did not elect to make a decision of faith to believe in Him are known as liars by God – as God the Father, for their denying His existence as God – as God the Son.
The devil or evil one or Satan has difficulty causing a synergetic family unit to compromise the faith that the dad, ma and kid/kids has/have in God – as God the Father, to protect them. A family unit that is comprised of a dad, ma and kid/kids is more likely to have a unity weapon and an accountability club at their disposal to fight off or beat back an attack of the devil or evil one or Satan than a ma who has no husband or a kid who has no dad. It is always the husband and the dad who is the one who is to hold the defense umbrella over the heads of his family members to protect them. Apostle John scribed this letter at a time when dads would take on and were ascribed the headship of their homes. Apostle John used the way that a dad naturally loves his biological kid/kids as a way to illustrate how God – as God the Father, naturally loves His adopted kids. God – as God the Spirit, communicates this message to the kids who God – as God the Father, elected to be His adopted kids by speaking to them in a still, quiet voice. The core message that God – as God the Spirit, passed on through Apostle John directly into the hearts of the kids who He – as God the Father, elected as His adopted kids testifies of Him – as God the Spirit, coming down on the head of Himself – as God the Son – Jesus, as Jesus was being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordon River and of having been released as He – as God the Son – Jesus, was ascending into heaven after His death and resurrection to be everywhere on planet Earth and to neutralize the influence of the devil or evil one or Satan on planet Earth beings.
There are Christ-follower communities of guys and gals today that expect their guy adherents to sit on pews on one side of their meeting place and that their gal adherents sit on pews on the other side of their meeting place. The gals in these Christ-follower communities of guys and gals have to take care of the small kids while the guys will have the older boys sitting with them. When your grandpaa implemented in Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez – in Bolivia, the rural resident Bible education program, your grandpaa made a number of rules that he expected the Centro de Capacitación (Learning Center) guys and their families to obey or . . . one of the rules was that each family unit had to sit together during each fellowship service. Your grandpaa had a designated punishment – which the husband or the dad was punished with, whenever a Centro de Capacitación guy or his wife or one of his kids did not obey one of your grandpaa’s rules. The designated punishment was for the guy to chop firewood during the daily work hours. Your grandpaa made expecting that each family unit would sit together during every fellowship service a rule because your grandpaa wanted family units to comprehend through repetition the strength value of oneness felt being as one unit as a family. Your grandpaa has no idea from where this legalistic practice or mindset emerged of having guys and gals sit separately; he can only guess that having guys and gals in close proximity was . . . would you like to go to a Christ-follower fellowship service where guys and gals have to sit separately during the service?
1 John 5 (668)