1 John 1:9 and the Filling of the Holy Spirit

This thread is geared towards believers in Jesus Christ who hold the Bible as the Word of God. I welcome constructive criticism, but please, lets all try to remain civil.

The First Epistle of John was a letter written by the Apostle John to the early Church, concerning the way a Christian should conduct him/herself in their spiritual life. While the letter covers a wide variety of Church doctrines, there is one specific "frame" of the "spectrum" that I would like to focus on.

1 John 1:8-10----8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

(My focus is on verse 9, but I quoted vs 8-10 above for context.)

I believe that each individual Christian recieves the baptism and permanent indwelling of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit upon the moment of faith in Christ. This means:
1) We are saved by Faith
2) We are baptized into the Body of Christ
3) We are identified with Jesus' Royal Priesthood, making each Christian a believer-priest before God
4) The Holy Spirit dwells within us, but it is our choice whether or not to let Him work through us.

So, if the Holy Spirit is always within us, how do we let Him guide us? I feel that the answer is 1 John 1:9. John basically tells us to confess our sins. Since we still sin on a regular basis, we should confess those sins privately to God the Father directly, on a regular basis. We are told that if we do not do this, we are not in fellowship with God. If we are not in fellowship with God, then how can the Holy Spirit fill us from within, to work through us? (I am making a distinction here between the "indwelling of the Holy Spirit", and the "filling of the Holy Spirit".) This idea seems obvious to me: either you are filled with your recent sins, or you are filled with the Holy Spirit. The two 'modes' are mutually exclusive. This means that the regular practice of 1 John 1:9 is vital to our spiritual maturity. Without it, believers in Christ will never pass the infantile stage.

Why am I saying all this?

Ive spent time moving from church to church, seeking a properly functioning congregation to be a part of, and to this day, I remain disappointed. My late pastor taugt me that 1 John 1:9 was as important as breathing. You would think that if such a simple principle was so fundamental, you would here it taught atleast once or twice across the majority of local Protestant churchs...yet its not....atleast I havent seen it.

What could this mean?

Well, if the American church has neglected or forgotten this doctrine, then doesnt that mean that the vast majority of Christians remain in a "comatose" state from the moment of rebirth? Im not trying to pass a blanket judgement on all Christians, and I certainly hope that any reader of 1 John 1:9 realizes that sins must be confessed to God. But we are called out of the world to be trained as Kings and Priests for Jesus future kingdom. If we are each priests before God, then it should be obvious that a priest must confess his/her own sins regularly. That has alway been a function of biblical priesthood. Jesus is our everlasting cleansing sacrifice, and when we cite our sins, we are cleansed of their temporary effect in our earthly lives. If we refuse to confess our sins, then those sins accumilate, and eventually lead us to "sin unto death". No believer should have to face sin unto death. Its not what God wants for us.

So, how did we get to this point?

Something so simple, yet so neglected. We go to great lengths to try and show our love for God, we often witness to those who reject the good news. We even erroneously send our "tithe" money to fill our pastors' wallets. Zeal is not a rarity in the American church, yet all of this work potentially amounts to NOTHING, simply because we failed to maintain our priestly function of confession, and therefore failed to grow-up.

This is why I believe that America will soon suffer the "sin unto death". Its not the athiests weighing us down, but the church itself.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

I must admit... IF Christians are priests... Christianity is truly dead...

Good thing that is simply not true....

For you have one teacher, Even Christ...

S&F !

I believe the bible is God's words spoken and written by man. If man followed the bible (especially the NT) he would be a better person, better family man, better co worker, better friend, etc.... than without it. At times you might think some of the teachings in the bible are simple and considered "common sense" ........maybe to you but it is not like that for everyone.

The Church is dying and you can see it from outside and from within. The Church has been infiltrated with Satan and his minions and their lies and deceit are taught inside some of the Churches. Some of these so called churches have pastors who are satanist.

Reason why the Holy Spirit is not found in the Church? Many churches have been desecrated and made unholy. This is done by juveniles and adults who wish show their hate for God and what he stands for. These people spread lies about God, urinate in the Holy water, smear human waste underneath the altar, have sex on the altar, disfigure religious paintings, paint small inverted cross's on painted windows, satanist sitting in church and blaspheming and cursing God under their breath, etc....

Another reason are the pastors! No longer do they care who comes in to worship. They no longer care about your spiritual growth - they only want your money. It is a job to them. They print out a sermon from the internet or from their Church approved software that has thousands of lectures and sermons and off they go sometimes acting as if they wrote the sermon. Rarely will you find a pastor who writes his own sermons.

The Churches use to remain open throughout the night for those seeking God but not anymore. The satanist know this. And they also know that most churches do not have any type of electronic surveillance or alarm systems making it easy for them to break in the church and complete their mission.

Who are these people? They can be your next door neighbor or maybe even your best friend. These people have been trained to hide their true identity and who they serve.

What do these people look like? If you are looking for tall black hats, fancy robes, or something from the Exorcist movie have fun because the true Satanist is vain. He/she dresses well, have a good job like being a teacher in school, police officers, politicians; they are polite and respectful when in the public and they go to church almost every Sunday.

They mix themselves amongst the true believers. Why? Simple to get people to turn away from God PLUS like most churches they have a roster of church members with their entire family, address and phone number. Very helpful to the Satanist. This is how wars start and there is an ongoing war right now between good vs bad (light against the darkness) and it will not stop until God decides when "enough is enough".

True Christians are a dying breed. Beware of the false Christian - they are everywhere.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

First... where the hell do you live?

And do you have any idea what you're talking about?

Do you know what a Satanist is for that matter?

Most of what you just wrote is either specifically about your area and whats happening within, in which case... damn!

OR

You just attribute everything that's bad in this world to "Satanists" which you likely don't even understand... so all of the above is just nonsense

Not to come off cocky here, but honestly... get real brother

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: Jesuslives4u

First... where the hell do you live?

And do you have any idea what you're talking about?

Do you know what a Satanist is for that matter?

Most of what you just wrote is either specifically about your area and whats happening within, in which case... damn!

OR

You just attribute everything that's bad in this world to "Satanists" which you likely don't even understand... so all of the above is just nonsense

Not to come off cocky here, but honestly... get real brother

First: I am a retired police officer with over two decades in police training and field work. I have worked in both North and Southern USA. So.......what about you smartazz?

SECOND: Whether you want to believe it or not - I don't care.

I damn well know what a Satanist is from a Christian aspect and from a police officer.

Stand down.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

So does being a police officer make you a "good" man?

Its not about whether or not I believe what you're saying... the issue is calling all of these situations you described Satanism... Why blame everything on "satan"? As if hes hiding around every corner with his minions waiting to possess the people of the world...

And for the most part, a "Satanist" according to Christianity is anyone who doesn't agree with the person that preaching...

Its pointless getting all ruffled about a post on a public form... being all tough...

good job copper...

Stand down yourself... or just talk like a normal person

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: Jesuslives4u

So does being a police officer make you a "good" man?

Its not about whether or not I believe what you're saying... the issue is calling all of these situations you described Satanism... Why blame everything on "satan"? As if hes hiding around every corner with his minions waiting to possess the people of the world...

And for the most part, a "Satanist" according to Christianity is anyone who doesn't agree with the person that preaching...

Its pointless getting all ruffled about a post on a public form... being all tough...

good job copper...

Stand down yourself... or just talk like a normal person

You need to get a life and grow up.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

nah... just need to clarify...

And wake people up to reality...

originally posted by: Jesuslives4u

I damn well know what a Satanist is from a Christian aspect and from a police officer.

Stand down.

Better hide your dog, Akragon.

OP,

People need the grace of God in their souls. After water Baptism, if you commit the "sin onto death", you lose
God's presence in your soul.

The "sin onto death" is mortal sin. Read 1 John 5:16-17. This is why Our Lord established the Sacrament of Confession,
John 20:23, to restore God's presence, His grace in one's soul.

I've always believed that true, penitent confession should be offered to both God and man. It is one thing to confess in prayer; it is quite another to tell another human being face-to-face. Both present unique challenges and provide valuable lessons.

I think the answer, in part, to why confession is largely absent as a regular, emphasized practice in the church is thus: to be honest with both God and man is to expose the facade of piety that is the church. It is far too damaging to one's personal reputation within the community, and by association to that of the community at large, to admit such indiscretions to others.

I agree that the self-examination (and ensuing inspiration--"filling" if you're so inclined) that occurs as a result of confession is an indispensable aspect of spiritual growth, whatever your religious beliefs. As such, you may have just nailed it in your assessment of why non-inspiration seems to permeate the church.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

I can see and believe that you are truly seeking God, and I am sure that because of this, you will find Him!

To assist you in your path, I would urge you to 'test everything' you have ever been told to believe in.

a reply to: Akragon

Ive been to churches where I believe super natural evil is being practiced. In that aspect, satanists have infiltrated many churches.

a reply to: Maigret

Thank you, but I have already found God. Now I am simply trying to follow His instruction.

originally posted by: Jesuslives4u
Many churches have been desecrated and made unholy. This is done by juveniles and adults who wish show their hate for God and what he stands for. These people spread lies about God, urinate in the Holy water, smear human waste underneath the altar, have sex on the altar, disfigure religious paintings, paint small inverted cross's on painted windows, satanist sitting in church and blaspheming and cursing God under their breath, etc....

MANY churches have this happen????? Holy crap on a cracker ... where???

Last I read there are an estimated 450,000 churches in the USA alone. And you say this is going on in MANY of them? That is why the Holy Spirit is not in churches? Considering that there are approximately 20,000 Satanists in all of North America (Canada, USA, Mexico) .. I'd say that makes them some busy little satanists!

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: Akragon

Ive been to churches where I believe super natural evil is being practiced. In that aspect, satanists have infiltrated many churches.

I have seen them too! One night as I was leaving my girlfriend house around 1 a.m. and across the street was a church and I could see the rear entrance from where I parked my car. I could hear loud laughing and screaming so I walked over and asked if I could help and I was told to leave. Being 6 foot 9 inches tall and a martial arts expert I simply smiled at the elderly man and dialed 911. While talking with the police you should have seen those guys run but not before one of them ran into the church and came out later with three other men - all running as fast as they can. I waited around for the police to show up and they showed me what these guys did. Unbelievable.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

Reason why the Holy Spirit is not found in the Church? Many churches have been desecrated and made unholy. This is done by juveniles and adults who wish show their hate for God and what he stands for.

The real church is the human body and mind and when it is in disarray the holy spirit that is already within the body cannot flow freely...All these outer worldly events and institutions are outward manifestations of humans who have not awoken and nurtured the holy spirit within the real church that contains 7 smaller churches strung along the tree of life...When the Mind and body are purified and dedicated to the One within the many the Holy spirit will awaken...Sounds like trumpets are heard within the body as the 7 churches are purified by the holy spirit.....

a reply to: Akragon

Alot of people use the term "satanists" not just fundamental Christians. Because its a short cut way of saying, whatever dark controlling ritualistic and sacrificial group that has survived since before Sumar, even Atlantis and before Atlantis is doing. Well, they're Destroying is what they're doing and lowering frequency for the world halting awareness and awakening and literally opening gates for lower astrals to incarnate here in larger numbers, so bringing earth down from the lowest rung, ie physical, to what exactly?

Now that's a long sentence or paragraph to define. Satanist says roughly the same thing.

The world is being run on every level and town even, but ritual sacrificial murderers. Thats our reality.

Not everyone in different groups and compartments is actively doing this. Some are kept out of this probably to become idealistic recruiters and to maintain the aspect of normality.

But higher levels know very well what its about. Though I've been told they think they're keeping their mittens clean, so its more through hints, nudges, read between the lines and directions to others.

I dont think "satanism" is the issue. Satanism is the worship and practice of doctrines taught by fallen angels. It manifests in many forms. In a collective sense, satanism is the 'Mystery of Iniquity' that Jesus warned of. The real issue is that Christians have to peacefully exist in a world flooded by the Mystery of Iniquity. This requires the regular use of 1 John 1:9. If the Church is neglecting that sacrament, then the Mystery of Iniquity will rot our society like a fungus.

This is why Jesus called His followers the salt of the earth. The Church was established to purchase time for the world, and right now, the Chuch is going broke.

a reply to: Unity_99

Alot of people use the term "satanists" not just fundamental Christians. Because its a short cut way of saying, whatever dark controlling ritualistic and sacrificial group that has survived since before Sumar,

See... the term "Satanist" is tossed around far to much by Christians...

What he is describing that has happened to the churches in his area was likely not done by any demon possessed persons... or even people who actually worship "satan"... it was likely done by teenagers just being teenagers...

A true Satanist couldn't care less about whats happening at a church, and certainly wouldn't go out of his way to ruin or destroy anything related to one...

They don't give a hoot about Christians... but will take the opportunity to mock one if they get a chance...

Satanism is about materialism... and mocking those that believe in the bible, but for the most part other then in extreme cases even Satanists are peaceful people...

What gets me going is when Christians call everyone who isn't a Christian a Satanist... I have a low tolerance for ignorance and or stupidity...