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Question about tenses in 1 john 4:15 kjv

F_S_HS

Member
Hi! Sorry for my poor english. So the verse in kjv is "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." So "shall" is future tense but "dwelleth" is in present tense. It sounds like the dwelling is before the confession, as if one is saved before one confesses. Which sounds really strange. Can anyone help me out with this please? Thanks.
 
Hi! Sorry for my poor english. So the verse in kjv is "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." So "shall" is future tense but "dwelleth" is in present tense. It sounds like the dwelling is before the confession, as if one is saved before one confesses. Which sounds really strange. Can anyone help me out with this please? Thanks.
It may seem like a future tense, but from the writer's perspective, it is only his future.
If you were to "confess" right now, it would be in the writers future.
In one minute, your confession will be in the past tense when you talk about it.

Example...
"Whosoever shall get a drivers license, can legally drive a vehicle."
An act, followed by its consequence.

Welcome to the site !
 
Hi! Sorry for my poor english. So the verse in kjv is "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." So "shall" is future tense but "dwelleth" is in present tense. It sounds like the dwelling is before the confession, as if one is saved before one confesses. Which sounds really strange. Can anyone help me out with this please? Thanks.

Greetings!

My answer would actually be yes, salvation is not by confession but by the Lord dwelling within us, and it is only by God dwelling within us that we can confess Jesus is the Son of God. No man can say Jesus is the Son of God (and mean it, at least), except by the Spirit.
 
Hey All,
You have come upon the age old question F_S_HS. Does God dwell in us allowing us to confess that Jesus is the Son of God, - predestination. Or do we confess first, and then we are indwelt by God -free will. We are not allowed to discuss these topics here on this forum .You have to ask in the apologetics forum. So I can only address lyour question about the verse. Here's the verse with the verse before it for context and verse 19 as a possible solution.

1 John 4:14-15, 19
14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
19. We love him, because he first loved us.

John clarifies that he is an eye witness of Jesus' coming. Confession comes before the the indwelling of God. That is how it reads. We don't have to manipulate the words to make it say this. So that is the answer.
I threw in verse 19 because this is true also. God loved us before we loved Him. When did God's love for us start?

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

God chose us before the foundation of the world.
So let's form a solution.

God loved us before the foundation of the world.
If /When we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him.
We, as believers, dwell in God also.
We confess our love for God because God first loved us.

We love God because He first loved us.

Keep walking everybody.
May God bless,
Taz
 
Hi! Sorry for my poor english. So the verse in kjv is "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." So "shall" is future tense but "dwelleth" is in present tense. It sounds like the dwelling is before the confession, as if one is saved before one confesses. Which sounds really strange. Can anyone help me out with this please? Thanks.

The modal verb "shall" is used in the verse as a conditional term, a sort of "if-then" word. So, the verse could be understood this way: If it is the case that one has confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, then God dwells in him, and he in God. God dwelling in a person is conditioned upon the person first confessing Jesus as the Son of God. To put the dwelling of God prior to this confession as the reason for it is to invert the order of things given in 1 John 4:15.
 
I will let the bold speak for itself as it is God that draws us to His salvation through that of Christ Jesus.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 6:48 I am that bread of life.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
 
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