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QUESTION 63:
(Part 2) If a Christian (professed) not in the Assembly fellowship - to be saved and committed suicide does he have eternal life. If yes, What about 1 John 3:15?

ANSWER:
Here is the verse in question: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15?

We must not always see a verse in it's immediate context, but also in the context of the Epistle in which it is written. John is writing to people who, evidently are Christians, but out of fellowship with God and us. (see 1 John 1:3) His style is to use sharp contrasts to show the characteristics of those who are in or out of fellowship with God. You will note this in 1 John 1:5-7, where he begins with the contrast between walking in the light or darkness.

In 1 John 3:14-15, it is a contrast between loving or hating a brother in Christ. His conclusion is that that brother does not have eternal life "abiding" in him. The word “abiding” is in the present and not future tense, which means that he is not speaking about that brother’s future destiny, but his present condition of spiritual life. It must be understood that there is a difference between have eternal life as a gift and abiding in that life as a present condition. This is seen in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, They all had eternal life as the “church of God at Corinth,” but some were abiding in it and were called spiritual and others who were not were called carnal.

Surely a believer in Christ who hates another brother is not spiritual, but carnal. They are not walking in the light, but in darkness. It is evident that John is not speaking about future destiny but present condition that affect his spirituality.

There is difference between the gift of eternal life and the inheritance of it. There is also a difference between eternal life and spiritual life. No Christian has any more of the gift of eternal than another, but we all know that some Christians are more spiritual than others. This is what is in view here and in John Epistle.

. The all important thing is that you, the reader, knows if you have the gift of eternal life that is only in Christ. 1 John 5:11-13.

All comments and questions to: Harold Smith

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Updated July 2009, by Shelly Allen