"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." (Phil. 2:14-16 KJV)
Questions
1. What is the "day of Christ"?
2. Is the reason for Paul's future rejoicing the eternal salvation of the Philippians? Or of their mere time salvation?
The idea that saints will be able to rejoice "in the day of Christ" for having been instrumental in the salvation of others is repugnant to a neo Hardshell. His evolved soteriology (extreme Hyper Calvinism) seems to undermine his peculiar cult presuppositions. (See my elaboration of this in Hardshell Presuppositions) He believes, and rightly so, that such an idea would support the means position and thus overthrow his anti means dogma.
He presumes, based upon his presuppositions (which he takes to the bible and uses to interpret it), that Paul could not
1) possibly be teaching that he could take credit (as a means in salvation) so as to rejoice in such a fact in the eternal day, and therefore
2) it could only be talking about being happy about a mere temporal salvation in time
But, the rejoicing is clearly not about a mere temporal salvation.
In the day of Christ Paul believes that he will be happy about his past labors while on earth and that in regard to
1. whether one has "run" either "in vain" or with "success."
2. whether one has "labored" either "in vain" or with "success."
Paul voiced a similar thought in other letters. To the Corinthian saints Paul wrote:
"...we are your boast as you also are ours, on the day of [our] Lord Jesus." (II Cor. 1: 14 NASB)
To the saints in Thessalonica he wrote:
"For what is our hope or joy or crown to boast of in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming if not you yourselves?" (I Th 2:19)
I affirm that these verses affirm that soul winners will be elated at the second coming of Christ over the souls they have been instrumental in winning to the Lord and that this fact is against the Hardshell teaching of anti means. I don't think any Hardshell today will want to affirm that these verses really talk about the Lord's second coming. How can they?
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