These Antichrists – I John 2:20 - 22 TEXT: But you have an - TopicsExpress



          

These Antichrists – I John 2:20 - 22 TEXT: But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:20 – 22 NASB). TRUTH: One who denies that Jesus is the Christ is an antichrist. COMMENTARY: In our last devotional we considered those who went out from us; those who were not willing to accept who Jesus Christ was. Not only were they unwilling to believe him, their desire is to turn others away from him. Let us consider those who remained and believe. What are they like? A characteristic of these people is they “have an anointing from the Holy One.” These people have the Holy Spirit living in them and according to 1 John 2:27 that anointing teaches them about all spiritual things. When a person becomes a new creature in Christ, old things pass away and new things take their place (2 Corinthians 5:17). These believers see spiritual truth in a new light. They seem to understand spiritual things in a manner and to an extent that cannot be explained except by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The truth that is learned and understood takes hold of these people to such an extent that they are willing to suffer persecution and die for what they believe. In China I had a student who was in his late twenties who had seen his dad for only a few months of his life. His dad is a believer and lives what he believes and as a result has spent most of his life in prison. Because these people know the truth and have the anointing of the Holy One, John is confident that they will be able to understand the ways of these antichrists and be able to withstand them. No matter what kind of story or evidence these antichrists come up with in an attempt to draw them away from Christ it will be seen as a lie and not of the truth. Anything that is false cannot have its roots in that which is true. It is thus critically important that one know the truth because when one does he will be free (John 8:32). The enemy uses that which is false to bring people into bondage. Who is the one who might be an imposter? Who is the one who is saying things that are not true, who John calls a liar? It is “the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.” They may accept that Jesus lived, but they do not accept that he is the Messiah; God in the flesh. As a result of their rejection of Jesus as the Son of God John says that they must also reject a proper relationship between God the Father and God the Son. John is not saying that these people necessarily reject God as being almighty and eternal, but that they reject the doctrines which are taught about the relationship between God the Father and the Son. One cannot destroy or even weaken this relationship and be a believer. “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23 NASB). Recently a survey was made in America of those who claimed to be evangelical Christians. They were asked if they believed there was more than one way to heaven. Nearly six out of ten marked yes for their response, but Jesus said that he was the only way (John 14:6). Are these who claim to be born again believers denying who Jesus is and are they then not who they say they are and are actually antichrists? Do you suppose these people the ones Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:21 – 23? APPLICATION: One can have the right understanding of God only if they have the correct views of the character of Jesus Christ. He must be seen as the Son of God who as Jesus took upon himself a body of flesh as a man. Jesus is truly God and truly man who lived without sin and died on the cross as our sacrifice. He is the only way to the Father. PRAYER: Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit who dwells within me and leads me along the pathway of truth. Thank you for his protection against the false work of these antichrists.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:26:13 +0000

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