"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (II John 1:9 kjv)
Can we agree that a person who "hath not God" is unregenerate? That such will be eternally lost? There are some Hardshells who, knowing the difficulty that the above verse poses to their views on salvation, will say "hath not God" does not mean "hath not God in relationship" but "hath not God in fellowship." A person therefore who "abides not in the doctrine of Christ" may be, and likely is, a saved person who has God in a salvation or birth relationship, but who does not have the fellowship or enjoyment of God. In response to this interpretation, let me say that such an interpretation:
1. Puts a disjunctive and antagonism between "relationship" and "fellowship" when there is none. The common Greek word for "fellowship" is koinōnia and denotes more than just enjoyable association and intercourse, but denotes a "participation" and a kind of "partnership," and therefore involves both union and communion. In fact, the communion is based upon the union and upon the agreement. The NT writers viewed being "called" as not only a "regeneration" but also a being brought into instant fellowship with Christ and his body, or with God.
Such an interpretation leaves the impression that there are many children of God (i.e. those who "have God") who abide not in the doctrine and who shall be saved anyway. It also leaves the impression that abiding in the doctrine is not so important. Abiding in the doctrine, by this thinking, does not really matter in the end.
2. Rejects the obvious, what is the simplest understanding of the words "has not God." Such words denote absence. God is not present in those who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ. And, to not have God is to not have life and salvation. When Paul said "if any have not the Spirit of Christ, then he is none of his" (Rom. 8:11), he used the idea of possession as denoting salvation. This meaning is so obvious that all Christians, except the Hardshells and Universalists, understand it.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Whosoever transgresseth,....Not the law of God, of which everyone is a transgressors and that daily, in thought, word, or deed; but who passes over the rule and standard of doctrine, the word of God, and will not adhere to that, nor walk according to it, but rejects and despises that rule:
and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ; which he received from his Father, and delivered to his apostles, and of which he is the sum and substance; the doctrine which is concerning his person as the Son of God...
Now, whoever has embraced and professed this doctrine, but errs concerning it, and rejects it, and abides not in it, as Satan abode not in the truth, appears to be of him:
hath not God; for his Father, but the devil, the father of lies; he has no true knowledge of God, for there is none but in Christ, whose doctrine such an one has denied; nor has he, nor can he, have communion with him, nor any interest in him.
He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ; as he hath received and professed it; neither can anything remove him from it, not the arguments of false teachers, nor the reproaches and persecutions of men, or the snares and allurements of the world:
he hath both the Father and the Son; he has an interest in them both, and has knowledge of each of them, and fellowship with them.
Another problem here for our Hardshell brothers is the fact that saved people have fellowship and participation in both the Father and the Son. Those who have God, in salvation, also have the Christ. But, the Hardshell paradigm has millions of people who supposedly have the Father but do not have the Son.
My brothers, think of these things.
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