"For many deceivers have gone out
into the world who do
not confess Jesus Christ
as coming in the flesh. This
is a deceiver and an antichrist."
2 John 7
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Happy Monday! Let's pray....
"Lord, I am so thankful to You today for the wonderful message You have given us in Your word: obey and know God. I thank You for giving us Your perfect precepts that we may know how to obey and please You. Give us wisdom and understanding that we may know more of Your word.
I pray for the forgiveness of my sins. I pray, Lord, that You will wash me clean this day through Your word. Convict me of my sins as I read this study, cleanse me, and renew me this day so that I can serve You.
I pray for each lady reading this study today....I pray that she will seek You with her whole heart. I pray that You will teach her new and exciting things in Your word today. I pray for her walk with You, Lord. I pray that she will surrender to You all her cares and cast them at Your feet. Lift her up, today Lord, and set her on the path that You have for her. Encourage her, give her strength to face all she has to do this week.
In Jesus' name....amen."
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As we continue in 1 John today, we will continue to look at the antichrists that John warns us about in previous verses. We were told that these anitchrists would be among us and we would know them by their fruits. But then he gives us hope by reminding us that we have the anointing of Jesus Christ, the Holy One, and the Spirit of Truth just as He has. Therefore, we know all the things of Christ.
Please take time to read all of Chapter two.
Now let's look at 1 John 2:22-23
"Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."
As usual, John leaves us with the hope that we have the Father and the Son.
But he is stern in his warning that the antichrists out there will deny Jesus is the Christ.
Last time we learned that the word Christ means "anointed". It comes from the Greek word for anointing, chrisma. To deny that Jesus is the anointed One is to deny all that He said because He called Himself the Christ.....the Messiah.
Please read:
John 4:25-26
John 5:40-41
John 5: 18
Here we see that many saw Jesus in different ways. The Samaritan Woman was given a clear understanding by Jesus Himself that He was the Messiah, the Christ. The demons recognized Jesus as the Christ, yet they were not believers nor were His elect. And the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus because He made Himself equal to God by calling Him Father.
In John's time, docetism was the religion that separated Jesus the Christ and Savior from Jesus the man. These false teachers replaced the message of the Apostles (that Jesus was both God and Man) with their own teaching that Jesus was only a supernatural being who only appeared to be human but that he could not die for anyone's sins. (New Geneva Study Bible Commentary)
But the Bible clearly shows us that Jesus was a physical man:
Matt 4:2
Luke 22:28
John 4:6
John 11:35 & 38
He experienced hunger, exhaustion, and sorrow as a human being does. Hebrews tells us that had Jesus not experienced all the sufferings and temptations that we face, then we would not have that perfect example to follow:
Heb 2:17 & 18
Heb 4:15 & 16
Heb 5:2
Because Jesus suffered the full human experience, we are guaranteed to have a clear path to Him when we go through the same trials. He is there throughout our relationship to guide us, encourage us, and lead us because He has been there for us.
John says that to deny this is evil...it is antichrist.
2 John 7
"For many deceivers have gone out into the world....."
John warns us here that these deceivers, or antichrists, are among us in the world already. They are in the churches trying to deny that Jesus is God in the flesh. They replace the Gospel message with this false message and lead the people astray.
Jesus is the Incarnation of God sent to redeem us to Him. To reject this truth is to reject the possibility of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. John was warning the believers that they were to hold fast to this message....as should we.
John wants us to hold fast so that we may earn our reward:
Gal 3:1-9
2 John 8
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John the author of this letter, as we have looked at before, knew Christ because He walked with Him. So, He knew that Jesus was indeed a man come in the flesh.
John 15:23
He knew that Jesus was hated and that he would be hated too simply because of the false teachings that were circulating the church at that time. And they are still circulating the church now.
That is why we must stay in the word of God daily.
"...he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."
These words of hope should keep us on the path of righteousness. To know that Jesus is the eternal Son of God is to have a relationship with God the Father also.
John 12:25
1 Pet 2:21
Rom 7:6
Rom 8:1
These things you already know! But it is good to be reminded.....
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Life Application
Today in church we had a guest Pastor teach us and it was such a blessing. He reminded us of how so much false doctrine is out there now permeating the church. As John reminded the believers in his time, we were reminded today: stay in God's word!
Rom 16:17-20
We must remain true to the teachings of the Bible so that we are not led astray by those "sheep in wolves clothing" as Jesus warned.
2 Tim 2:15-16
It takes diligent work to remain in the scriptures. It takes discipline to heed the words of God and show ourselves approved to God.
Col 1:21
So that we may be presented holy and blameless....overcomers before the Lord.
That should be our main purpose. We have work to do in this life...the Lord's work. Whether it is training our children or grandchildren or teaching others about the Lord; we have much work to do.
That is why John remembered the words of the Lord: let go of this life. Do not love the world or the things in the world.
Col 2:8-10
We are to beware of these false teachings because in Christ Jesus dwells the fullness of the Godhead in boldily form! And because we believe Jesus is God in the flesh sent to die for our sins....we now are complete in Him who is the ruler over all.
Praise God indeed! Take this into your day today. Meditate on it. In YOU is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. In YOU is the very temple of the Lord.
How can there be any other path to follow???
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Until next time....
"Christ is the Holy One of God. He is so holy that the heavens are not pure in His sight. He is possessed of all that holiness which is the infinite beauty and loveliness of the divine nature. But an unbeliever sets nothing by the holiness of Christ. Christ is the wisdom and power of God (1 Cor 1:24). But an unbeliever sets nothing by His power and wisdom. The Lord Jesus Christ is full of grace and mercy; the mercy and love of God appear nowhere else so brightly and gloriously as they do in the face of Jesus Christ. But an unbeliever sets no value at all upon the infinite grace of Christ."
-Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) (Altogether Lovely, 1997, p. 206)
Blessings,
Ruth
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