Featured Knocking on Whose door? Rev. 3:20 Biblically reclaimed

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

I disagree, verse 20 clearly says "any man" and is unlimited in scope. Verse 22 also is addressed to those who have the ability to listen (He that hath an ear) and is unlimited. These statements are not limited to the church, because the verse says to anyone who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Of course, Calvinists will say the unregenerate man does not have the ability to hear, but I would disagree with this.

I am amazed at Calvinists, this is one of the greatest salvation verses in all of scripture and shows just how easy it is to be saved, and what a man must do to be saved. He must simply open the door of his heart or will and invite Jesus in. Yet Calvinists try to steal this verse away. It is almost as if Calvinists do not want people to be saved.

 

19. 'Those whom I love (phileo), I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

20. 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him (not "into", but "in to") and will dine with him, and he with Me."

Notice the qualifying statement, those I Love, He stands and knocksat there door for them to come to Him, He wants to have fellowship with the believers who are out of fellowship, those who are walking in sin those who are reproved and disciplined the Lord is knocking on their door by means of discipline and those who repent and open the door Christ can come back and fellowship with. When 1 John 1:9 is applied to the believers life sin is confessed and God has forgiven then the believer is able to fellowship with God.

 

I know that even C. H. Spurgeon did not mind using the verse to call for those without Christ to come to Him.

The emphasis of the verses remain to the church and to the believers.

The emphasis is diminished by attempts to apply it to the unbelievers. If it were preached and taught as a warning to the believers/assemblies then perhaps the Holy Spirit would use it to bring revival for the believers and assemblies would come to realize much of what passes for God's blessing and approval in the modern age is of little or no value to the Lord or the believer.

 

"You know the famous picture of, “The Light of the World”? It seems to me to be one of the finest sermons the eyes have ever looked upon. There stands the Ever-Blessed, knocking at the door of the soul, but the hinges are rusted, the door, itself, is fast bolted and wild briars and all kinds of creeping plants running up the door prove that it has been along time since it was moved. You know what it all means—how continuance in sin makes it harder to yield to the knock of Christ and how evil habits creeping up, one after another, hold the soul so fast that it cannot open to the sacred knocking. Jesus has been knocking at some of your hearts ever since you were children—and still He knocks. I hear His blessed hand upon the door at this moment! Do you not hear it? Will you not open?" —Charles Spurgeon, "Knock"

 

Angel is referring to messengers of the church. A believer should of already come to Christ for salvation.

It all depends on how you see hot or cold. I believe a church that is cold has stopped reaching out to the lost and the warm do a little, but the hot have a great mission orientation.

All believers are not called to be teachers, because we who teach will be judged more strictly, but nothing wrong with our lives pointing to Jesus and that we have a place that can teach them the path to God through Jesus.

The letters is to the messengers of that particular church.

A believer does not need to be saved all over again, but they do need direction and God gave people like Peter to feed them.

 

If you look back to the quote (a few posts above) given by Jerome of what C. H. Spurgeon said during his absolutely amazing sermon on the second coming of Christ you will see that Spurgeon acknowledged the popular picture use of the verse, but in reading the sermon one will see that Spurgeon would agree with the view that the verses are for the believer and the assembly.

 

Barnes Notes

Matthew Henry

Barnes and Henry agree with me, and disagree with you.

 

It is true that the context shows that the main emphasis of the verse applies to the churches. However, it is also in harmony with verses like John 6:37; 7:37; 2 Cor 5:20, and Rev 22:17. It is perfectly OK to use the verse evangelistically.

Steve

 

Actually, if you read what you posted by Henry carefully, you will see that "this originally had reference to the members of the church in Laodicea" and THEN adds that it "SEEMS to have been of design..." You would hold to the seems???? Hmmmm.

And in the same post you made of Barns statement, "In the conclusion is a promise to the overcoming believer. Christ himself had temptations and conflicts; he overcame them all, and was more than a conqueror. Those made like to Christ in his trials, shall be made like to him in glory. All is closed with the general demand of attention."

You seem to parse out what was pleasing to your view, and left the greater intent of the verse - that being to sinning believers who were thinking that certain material blessings indicated being "right with God." But the assembly was/are mistaken.

 

How about that deface & denigrate ploy of the OP?

 

Verse 20 says, "if any man hear my voice", that is universal. Verse 21 applies to believers, or those who have overcome. Verse 22 is universal, saying, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches".


This is all that Barnes is explaining. I am in perfect agreement with him.

Spurgeon

Spurgeon also believed this verse applied to all men.

 

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:..

Angel(mal'ak)
1) messenger, representative

a) messenger

b) angel

c) the theophanic angel

God does not like idleness when the spreading of the Gospel and the great commission.

Messengers need to go out, we can't be lukewarm, but hot.

The message can't stay within a body of believers, but go out and that is the work of the angels of the church the messengers of it.

Just because someone does not agree with you and who you want to believe does not mean they are wrong.

 

Again, you are only seeing through a bias.

Spurgeon, is discussing the sinful believer who is not in fellowship with the Savior.

Christ does grant the unregenerate "ears to hear the Spirit" in salvation, but the verse is to those who have ears ALREADY to hear - they are believers. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."

Christ NEVER calls one who is an unbeliever to hear what the Spirit is saying to the assembly. He calls the unbeliever to salvation. He calls the assemblies and believers to listen to the Holy Spirit and not to "quench" that message of the Holy Spirit.

 

I am the one seeing through a bias?

You seem to ignore Barnes words, he said this invitation is UNIVERSAL. Do you know what that means?

Spurgeon was applying this verse to his listeners, and told them to fling open their hearts and open the door of their hearts. He was not speaking to the church in Laodicea.

You refuse to see that these men believed Revelation 3:20 applied to all men in all ages.

It is you that has a bias.