Category: I John

⁹ No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (I John 3:9-10)

Jesus Christ came to earth to deliver sinners from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin, to destroy the works of the devil and to define, determine and establish children of God. In other words, to choose His elect.

Those who have been born of God are those who do not make a practice of sinning. This is because “God’s seed abides in him.” Seed (σπέρμα; sperma) means nature. God has replaced the sinner’s old nature with a new nature that occurs through the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration. The believer is now a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

John the apostle again sets forth, in a cause and effect statement, that “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (I John 3:10).

The practice of righteousness, or the present, active performance from the heart of the believer for the things which please God, is evidence that the individual in question is born of God. The absence of the practice of righteousness is evidence that the individual is a child belonging to the devil.

One of the practices of righteousness in particular is the act of loving a brother in Christ. This is a present, active self-sacrificial love of the will for a fellow believer in Christ. It is a love described in I Corinthians 13:1-8a. As we will see later on in I John, it is a love sourced and originated from God (I John 4:7-8).

Are you born of God? One of the biblical evidences of such a claim is obedience to the Word and will of God. May such obedience been evident in our lives today.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

 

 

⁹ No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (I John 3:9-10)

Jesus Christ came to earth to deliver sinners from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin, to destroy the works of the devil and to define, determine and establish children of God. In other words, to choose His elect.

Jon sets forth his initial proposition by stating that “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” To be born of God is another way of saying being regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Regeneration, as set forth in the Scriptures is accompanied by repentance. Repentance is a conscious ability in one’s mind, emotions and will to turn from sin and to turn by faith alone to Christ alone for salvation. This ability to repent is a fruit of sovereign regeneration (Ephesians 2:1-5).

Regeneration is also irresistible or effective. It accomplishes and overcomes all resistance. This is set forth in Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemas in John 3:1-8.

One commentator explains that, “When we read Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus, it becomes clear that Jesus teaches our being born again must come before we believe. We cannot see or enter the kingdom of God before our hearts are changed (vv. 3, 5). And since we are saved by faith alone (Eph. 2:8–10), then regeneration precedes faith. The faith by which we enter the kingdom follows our being born again. Moreover, Romans 8:8 tells us that those who are in the flesh—who are controlled by sin and have hearts set on the things of this world—cannot please God. But faith certainly pleases God, for He commands us to believe (John 3:16). People in the flesh cannot exercise faith for they cannot please God. The Spirit must change us first.”

Dr. R. C. Sproul shares that, “The grace of regeneration is irresistible. Jesus likens the Spirit’s work in regeneration to the wind blowing (John 3:8). We cannot see the wind, but we can see its effects as trees sway and objects blow past us. Furthermore, try as we might, we cannot stop or control the wind. When it wants to blow in a certain direction, it will push against whatever impedes it until what is blocking it is knocked down, as those who have seen devastating windstorms know all too well. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. He will finally overcome all resistance to faith in those whom God wants to save. When we say the grace of regeneration is irresistible, we do not deny that people can resist the Holy Spirit for a time. The point is that the Spirit can and will finally overcome all resistance to the truth in those whom God has chosen for salvation. If you are a believer, it is because God overcame your resistance. Thank Him today for doing so.”

Thirdly, regeneration is mysterious. The work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration cannot finally be resisted or controlled and like the wind that blows, you cannot see the Spirit as He regenerates a dead sinner; rather, you can see only the effects of regeneration—profession of faith, repentance, and evidence of a changed life (John 3:8). This is what the Apostle John sets forth when he writes that no one born of God makes a practice of sinning because he has been born of God.

Finally, regeneration is gracious. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” God is under no obligation to enable sinners to believe the gospel but He graciously chooses to do so.

John Calvin explains from Scripture that every part of salvation is authored by God. This includes even our decision to believe.

Dr. Sproul concludes by saying, “We believe only because the Lord makes us willing to believe. Apart from grace, we are fully unwilling to believe. Our hearts are dead in sin, and dead hearts—just like dead bodies—cannot move of their own accord (Eph. 2:1–3). We must not stretch the metaphor too far; Paul is not saying that human beings are unable to make choices without God’s grace. Unredeemed sinners, after all, make choices every day. What the Apostle means is that unless God’s grace resurrects our dead hearts, we cannot make decisions that are pleasing to the Lord. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8), and to be dead in trespasses and sin is to be in or controlled by the flesh.”

Meditate upon the doctrine of regeneration today Take time to thank God for granting you a new birth by His sovereign grace alone, through God given faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ⁸ Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:7-8)

Jesus Christ came to Earth in order in order to deliver elect sinners from the penalty, power and eventually the presence of sin. Jesus Christ also came to earth in order to destroy the works of the devil.

As one commentator to today’s text observes, “If sin is personal enemy #1, then Satan is public enemy #1. The flesh is our internal foe and the devil is our external foe.”

Believers in Christ fight a battle each day in order to be obedient to the Lord and to not be deceived by the world, their own sinful flesh and the devil. It can be exhausting to not stray from the truth of God’s Word and therefore wander, but this is our mission. The words of Psalm 1 come immediately to mind.

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.                                                                              ³ He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

⁴ The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

 

The Apostle John continued his argument that those who practice righteousness before God and man are those who have been born of God. Those who are righteous within their souls before God, by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone, will be righteous in their lives before men.

By the same logical argument, those who make a practice of sinning belong by nature and behavior to the devil. Why? Because the evil one has been a sinner and sinning since the beginning.

Dr. John Walvoord explains that, “Only righteousness springs from a righteous nature. By contrast, He who does what is sinful is of the devil. It would be wrong to water this assertion down. All sin, of whatever kind or degree, is satanic in nature. This is because the devil has been sinning from the beginning (cf. John 8:44). Sin originated with Satan and is his constant practice. To take part in sin at all is to take part in his activity. It is also opposing the work of the Son of God who came (appeared; cf. 1 John 3:5; Heb. 9:28a) to put an end (lysē, destroy) to that activity. Even the smallest sin runs counter to the work of Christ. Believers are to overcome “the evil one” (1 John 2:13–14), here called “the devil,” and not to participate in what he is.”

Lest there be any doubt, John states clearly and unequivocally that the reason Jesus came was to destroy the works of the devil. In other words, to bring to an end disobedient rebellion. This is not only to occur within the fallen world by God’s judgement (Revelation 19) but also within the believer’s soul by sanctification in and through the Word of God (John 17:17).

What works of disobedient rebellion is God brining to an end in your own soul? What battlegrounds still continue to be waged in spiritual warfare? Resolve to be the blessed person depicted in Psalm 1.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.” (I John 3:4-6)

As the storm clouds of World War II were approaching, German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer preached a sermon on November 26, 1939 entitled “Death is Swallowed Up in Victory.” He concluded his message with these words: “And when the darkest hour comes over us, then we want to hear the voice of Jesus Christ calling in our ear: Victory is won. Death is swallowed up in victory. Take comfort. And may God grant that then we will be able to say: I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. It is in this faith that we want to live and die.”

One of the characteristics of John’s First Epistle is his tendency to review in a circular manner the same themes that he wrote in an earlier portion of his epistle. John wrote that true and genuine love for God is proven by a consistent keeping and obeying of God’s commandments (I John 2:3-5).

He restates that same theme another way in today’s text: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” ^“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.  Every person, it does not matter who they are, who makes it a present and active practice to sin practices lawlessness. Lawlessness, within this context, is a complete disregard for the law of God. It is displayed by lawless living and lawless attitudes. In fact, John defines sin (ἁμαρτίαν; hamartian) as nothing short of lawlessness.

A pastor explains that the apostle had four types of people in mind when he wrote this epistle. They were (1) Fully assured Christians; (2) Christians struggling with assurance; (3) Falsely assured non-Christians; and (4) Known Non-Christians. Today’s text applies to all of us but the Apostle John especially had false-assured non-Christians in mind. 

John affirms the sinlessness of Christ and His substitutionary atonement when he wrote, “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” John’s point is that being a disciple of Jesus is not only freedom from the penalty of sin, which is hell, but also freedom from power of sin in our present day lives.

The apostle’s conclusion in this section is found in 3:6: “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.” Again, obedience to God and His commandments is the very best way to show that you believe.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “The primary aim of this section is to combat false teachers who are corrupting the fundamentals of the faith. These verses further amplify, reiterate, and emphasize the moral test already presented by John (see 2:3–6, 7–11).”

As one commentator of today’s text shares, “In union with Christ, which is another way of saying abiding in Christ, I have experienced a definite and decisive break with sin. It no longer rules me. Christ does! A life of living in sin and living in the Savior is an oxymoron! It does not make sense. It is spiritually crazy.”  

Strive today, by God’s strength, to live obediently to the Lord’s commandments. Remember, Jesus came to deliver us from our sin: its penalty and power.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.³ And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (I John 3:1-3)

Along with the blessings of Jesus Christ delivering believers from the penalty and the power of sin, is also the blessing that Jesus Christ delivers believers eventually from the very presence of sin.

Today’s text begins with John setting a tone of wonder and awe that the church bask in the blessing of God’s love for sinners. That sinners in Christ, such as himself, are called the children of God is astonishing to the apostle and should also be to us. Being a child of God is not something yet future for the believer in Christ. It is a present reality and state of one’s being accomplished by God’s grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

John continues to say that the reason the fallen world does not understand our love for God is because it does not understand God’s love for the world. The Apostle Paul expressed the same thoughts in I Corinthians 2:14 which says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

Finally, John states that as believers in Christ are presently God’s children, we still have not become everything God has in mind. He will still deliver us from the very presence of sin. I John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears  we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Often people primarily focus on the physical changes that will occur when a believer in Christ is glorified. Our bodies which are perishable, dishonorable because of sin, weak and natural will be changed. Paul expressed this in I Corinthians 15:42-44 which says, “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

However, while not ignoring the significance of the believers’ bodily transformation, the Apostle John also has the Christian’s spiritual transformation in mind. The believer in Christ will be like Christ in holiness, righteousness and glory. The believer in Christ will no longer sin in thought, word or in behavior. Hallelujah!

With this mind, believers in Christ strive to be pure at the present time in order to increasingly mirror what they will be for all time. This striving for holiness (I Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11:44) is not pursued in order to obtain salvation, but rather out of gratitude for our salvation.

Take several moments throughout your day today to praise God and to pledge to Him your desire to be holy as He is holy. One of these days, when either He comes again or calls you home, you will be completely holy as He is. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

^“If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” (I John 2:29)

When children are asked the question in Sunday school, Vacation Bible School or even youth group, “Why did Jesus come to earth”? The answer usually and correctly given is, “To die on the cross in order to save us from our sins.”

However, that answer is only half correct for it only addresses the passive obedience of Christ while He was on the cross fulfilling the Father’s will. There is also an active obedience that Jesus fulfilled and that was in perfectly obeying the law of God throughout His life leading up to and including His crucifixion on the cross. It was Jesus’ active obedience in His life which qualified Him to be passively obedient by His death.

The Apostle John says that “He (Jesus Christ) is righteous. This means that Jesus Christ, in His being, is continually being in accordance to what God requires. This should not shock a believer because the Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-2). It is this righteousness which God imputes to the believing sinner by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

Dr. C. Sproul explains that, “The only righteousness that meets the requirements of the Law is the righteousness of Christ. It is only by imputation of that righteousness that the sinner can ever possess the righteousness of the Law. This is critical for our understanding in this day where the imputation of the righteousness of Christ is so widely under attack. If we abandon the notion of the righteousness of Christ, we have no hope, because the Law is never negotiated by God. As long as the Law exists, we are exposed to its judgment unless our sin is covered by the righteousness of the Law. The only covering that we can possess of that righteousness is that which comes to us from the active obedience of Christ, who Himself fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law. His fulfilling of the Law in Himself is a vicarious activity by which He achieves the reward that comes with such obedience. He does this not for Himself but for His people. It is the background of this imputed righteousness, this rescue from the condemnation of the Law, this salvation from the ravages of sin that is the backdrop for the Christian’s sanctification, in which we are to mortify that sin that remains in us, since Christ has died for our sin.”

The believer in Christ evidences they have received Christ’s imputed righteousness as they practice Christ-like righteousness. These are they who truly display that they have been born of God.  

It can be correctly concluded that God not only delivers the sinner from the penalty of sin (justification), but He also delivers the believer from the power of sin (sanctification). The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” 

It is regarding that day which Paul spoke of which we will examine when next we meet. Until then, may the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!     

“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” (I John 2:28)

What do you do with your guilt? To begin with, what exactly is guilt? Guilt may be defined in two different categories.

First, there is objective guilt. This is when a person is guilty of breaking the law. Regardless of how the individual in question may feel, the objective reality is that they have broken the law and they stand guilty before a judge awaiting the penalty for their crime. They are at fault, they are to blame and they must bear the responsibility for their behavior.

Secondly, there is subjective guilt. This is the remorse the person in question feels about having broken the law. For example, they may be objectively guilty of failing to stop their vehicle at a stop sign. However, they may also feel subjective remorse and shame for having hit another car, which had the right of way, and causing pain and suffering for the other car’s occupants.

Back to our original question. What do you do with your guilt? Some people deny they have done anything wrong. Others bury their guilt and seek to place it in the remotest part of their brain. Still others seek to medicate their guilt away through drugs and alcohol. There are even those who seek to self-atone for their guilt by doing well on behalf of others.

What do I do with my guilt before the perfect law of God? This is the most important question each of us will ever ask. Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “What do I do with my guilt before the perfect law of God?” is the most important question each of us will ever ask.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers the only permanent and eternal solution to the problem of the individual’s guilt. It alone offers real forgiveness of sins. What specifically is the Gospel?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ sets forth the following truths. First, God Exists. Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45; Second, Sin Exists. Sin is any lack of obedience or conformity to the person and character of God. Sin is a debt, a crime and estrangement from God.  Romans 3:9-20; 23; Ephesians 2:1-3. Third, Salvation Exists. Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:4-10. Fourth and finally, One Savior Exists: Jesus Christ. Why Jesus Christ?

The blessing of abiding in Christ is because He has delivered the believer from the penalty of their sin. Meditate upon these following truths again concerning the sinless Son of God.

• Jesus Christ is the Sinless, Eternal Son of God – John 1:1-2; Colossians 1:15-18.
• Jesus Christ became man – John 1:14; Romans 1:1-3; Galatians 4:1-4; I John 4:1-2.
• Jesus Christ was born of a virgin – Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38.
• Jesus Christ lived a sinless, righteous life for sinners – I John 1:5; I Timothy 6:13-16; James 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15.
• Jesus Christ died a substitutionary death on the cross for sinners – Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Romans 5:1-10; Galatians 3:1-14; Philippians 2:5-11.
• Jesus Christ resurrected bodily from the dead – Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-11; I Corinthians 15:1-4; John 2:13-22; 11:25-26; Acts 2:22-36.
• Salvation is solely on the basis of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, given by God the Father, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Romans 3:21-26; 5:1-10; Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Zechariah 3:1-5.
• Jesus Christ ascended to God the Father, Acts 1:1-11, and will return in power and glory, Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 19-22.

While we acknowledge that these truths are hated by the antichrists, they must be held dear by those who are followers of Christ.

The Apostle John writes that if believers abide in the person and work of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, they will not be ashamed when He comes back in power, might and glory. They will have boldness and confidence because their salvation and righteousness is centered in Him. He has removed all of the believer’s sins. There is therefore no more guilt.

What happens, however, when I still feel guilty for what I have done? How can God help me in that situation?

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “In simple terms, we must take God at His word. We must live by His truth, not by our feelings, for His Word is objective and our feelings are subjective. If He says “I forgive you,” we are forgiven, no matter how we may feel. Our enemy, Satan, loves to accuse the children of God, to remind them of their violations of God’s law in order to take away their joy. But the Bible tells us that if we resist him, he will flee from us, and we resist him by the Word of God. In all things, we must cling to this truth: God will not lower His standards, but through Christ He will forgive all those who ask Him to do so.”

If you are in need of forgiveness, ask God right now to do so. His Word says He will (I John 1:9).

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

 

²⁶ I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.²⁷ But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (I John 2:27-28)

 One of John’s purposes in writing to these young believers he explicitly states in today’s text: ^“I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.” The word deceive (πλανώντων; phanonton) means to lead astray. The grammar indicates this effort to stray from the truth is the possessed and singular purpose of the antichrists. It is also a present, active and continual effort.

Can Christians be deceived? History and experience has shown that this indeed can happen. That is why the Apostle John will go on to say in I John 4 that believers in Christ should always test the spirits to see if they are of God (I John 4:1-3).

Pastor and author Sinclair Ferguson explains that, “Christians have been, and are, capable of being deceived. Have none of the elect been deceived in recent years into supporting “ministries” that have proved so tragically different in reality from what they professed to be? Sadly, we are more easily addicted to the spectacular (“signs and wonders”) than to the substantial, to novelty (“false prophets”) than to a wholesome orthodoxy. If we think Christians cannot be deceived, the deception has already begun.”

However, the apostle includes a contrast which has to do with the anointing John spoke of in I John 2:20-21. This anointing and consecrating ministry by the Holy Spirit in which He regenerates, baptizes, indwells, gifts, seals, fills and illuminates each elect sinner is one which remains or abides.

Therefore, there is no need for the believer to require a special, anointed teacher. Such a notion is popular and pervasive in cults and false religions where the individual whims of the leader are observed rather than the authoritative Word of God.

Dr. Ferguson offers some helpful and practical tips to avoid deception by false teachers and antichrists. He states, “But how can we guard ourselves against spiritual deception? By developing sensitivity, we become aware of Satan’s strategies in our lives (2 Cor. 2:11). Have you learned what they are? By developing self-knowledge, we recognize how weak we are. Since nothing good dwells in our flesh (Rom. 7:18), we need constantly to depend on the Lord. Do you? By developing an appetite for God’s Word, we are “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14, ESV), and we grow in discernment.”

May the Lord give each of us the ability to discern deception, to develop knowledge of ourselves and to develop an appetite for God’s Word.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

²⁴ Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that he made to us^[a]—eternal life.” (I John 2:24-25)

What is it that the church and the believers to whom the Apostle John was writing had heard from the beginning? What was the message that was to abide in them? The answer is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not a message just for our justification but also our sanctification which ultimately leads to our glorification.

The Gospel is not just about the believer’s past conversion. The Gospel is also about the believer’s current transformation into the holy character of Christ. This is the message which is to continue in the believer’s life.

To abide (μενέτω; meneto) means to remain or to persevere. The first occurrence of this word in today’s text is in the form of a command. God commands the church to persevere in the message, truth and proclamation of the Gospel.

For argument’s sake, what exactly is the Gospel? I submit for your benefit and edification, the following outline. This should be familiar.

• God Exists. The God of the Bible. The One, True God. Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45.
• Sin Exists. Sin is any lack of obedience or conformity to the person and character of God. Sin is a debt, a crime and an estrangement from God. Romans 3:9-20; 23; Ephesians 2:1-3.
• Salvation Exists. Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:4-10.
• One Savior Exists: Jesus Christ. John 14:1-6; Romans 3:21-26; I Timothy 5:1-2.

It is this core message in which the individual believer, and the collective church, must continue to abide and remain. To fail to do so is heresy and will result in tragic consequences.

The Gospel’s ultimate promise in the Gospel is eternal life. This is life not only in length but also in the character of the holiness of God.

Dr. John MacArthur explains that, “The gospel that cannot change. Let it remain; do not follow false teachers (cf. 2 Tim. 3:1, 7, 13; 4:3). Christian truth is fixed and unalterable (Jude 3). If we stay faithful to the truth, we continue to experience intimate communion with God and Christ and persevere to the full eternal life (cf. 1 John 5:11–12).”

Take the time and make the effort to memorize the basic points of the Gospel. May they be ingrained into your mind and memory. May you share these truths with those you know who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

 

 

 

²² Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” (I John 2:22-23)

The Scriptures identify a liar (ψεύστης; pseustes) as an individual who, above all else, denies that Jesus is the Christ. The Apostle John goes on to say that whoever does so exists as an antichrist. An antichrist is one who is opposed to Christ and seeks to usurp Christ as Savior and Lord.

What do the antichrist(s) specifically oppose about the person and work of Jesus Christ? Take note of the following biblical truths concerning the identity and work of the sinless, Son of God. I realize that we recently covered these truths, but they are worth examining them once more.

• Jesus Christ is the Sinless, Eternal Son of God – John 1:1-2; Colossians 1:15-18.
• Jesus Christ became man – John 1:14; Romans 1:1-3; Galatians 4:1-4; I John 4:1-2.
• Jesus Christ was born of a virgin – Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38.
• Jesus Christ lived a sinless, righteous life for sinners – I John 1:5; I Timothy 6:13-16; James 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15.
• Jesus Christ died a substitutionary death on the cross for sinners – Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Romans 5:1-10; Galatians 3:1-14; Philippians 2:5-11.
• Jesus Christ resurrected bodily from the dead – Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-11; I Corinthians 15:1-4; John 2:13-22; 11:25-26; Acts 2:22-36.
• Salvation is solely on the basis of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, given by God the Father, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Romans 3:21-26; 5:1-10; Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Zechariah 3:1-5.
• Jesus Christ ascended to God the Father, Acts 1:1-11, and will return in power and glory, Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 19-22.

The apostle continues to say that whoever opposes Jesus Christ is also opposed to God the Father. In other words, a person can’t say they believe in God the Father while at the same time rejecting Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God.

It is important for us to understand the underlying historical context to these two verses. One commentary explains that, “Of themselves, these verses would counter equally well a non-Christian Jewish opposition and a Corinthian opposition to Christian faith. Compromising the absolute uniqueness of Jesus as the Christ and the only way to the Father would probably permit Jewish believers to remain in the synagogues—thus delivering them from the direct challenge of the imperial cult and threat of persecution. That false prophets would advocate such compromise (cf. 4:1–6) is by no means difficult to conceive; the late-second-century Christian writer Irenaeus also attributed this view to many later Gnostics.”

How does our present culture seek to oppose the uniqueness of Jesus as the Christ and the only way to the Father? How do many churches seek to do the same thing in many cases? We must resolve to affirm the uniqueness of God’s salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!