1 John 2:18-27 New International Version (NIV) Warnings Against Denying the Son 18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. John is talking about the last days, the time between Christ first coming and second coming. The people in Johns day lived in the last days and so do we. During this time antichrists (false teachers who will lure members away from the Truth of Christ) will appear. Finally just before the world ends one great antichrist will arise. (Revelation 13; 19:20; 20:10) These antichrists teach part truths so some things sound familiar but they twist and leave out the other parts of Christ truth. Many in the church today, as in Johns day, teach faith in God while denying and opposing Christ. To do so, John undeniably states, is impossible. Because Jesus is Gods Son and the Messiah, to deny Christ is to reject Gods way of revealing himself to the world. A person who accepts Christ also accepts God at the same time. The two are one and cannot be separated. Many today are calling themselves Christians, but they deny that Jesus is divine. Christ died on the cross for our sins, He was raised to give us new life and He will return and establish His Kingdom in its fullness. He could not do this if He were just a man or a prophet, so either He is God or He is was a liar. We have the Holy Spirit in us as well as God-inspired Scriptures, against which we can test questionable teachings. To stay true to Christ we must follow His Word AND His Spirit. Christ Word and His Spirit will help us discern truth from error. This means a personal, life-giving relationship. John 15: 5 talks about Christ as the vine and his followers as the branches. I pray that you and I are attached to Christ, wanting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help us God.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 10:51:15 +0000
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