EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
Believers must be able to
discern truth from a lie
___
1 John 2:18-27
___By Ellis Orozco
___Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen
___A Chinese boy who wanted to learn about jade went to study with a talented old teacher. This gentle man put a piece of the precious stone into his hand and told him to hold it tight. Then he began to talk of philosophy, men, women, the sun and almost everything under it. After an hour he took back the stone and sent the boy home. The procedure was repeated for several weeks.
___The boy became frustrated. When would he be told about the jade? He was too polite, 
however, to question the wisdom of his venerable teacher. Then one day, when the old man put a stone into his hands, the boy cried out instinctively, "That's not jade!"
___John warns the church there are counterfeit Christians among them and the only way to differentiate between the truth and the lie is to hold on to Christ.
___ The appearance of antichrists (1 John 2:18-19). John proclaims that it is the "last hour." The Greek word for "last" is the origin of the English word "eschatology" --the study of last things. John's use of the word "hour" in this context does not refer to 60 minutes but to an unspecified length of time.
___In this last era of the proclamation of the gospel from the Cross to the Second-Coming, John warns there will appear those who are against everything Christ came to accomplish. Their departure from the essentials of the faith is proof their hearts were never really changed (1 John 2:19).
___ The power of believers (1 John 2:20-21). The power of believers to fight the antichrists is found both in God's anointing and in the truth. The word that John uses for "anointing" is found only twice in the New Testament (here and 1 John 2:27), and is from the same root as Christ ("Anointed One"). The anointing John speaks of refers to the indwelling Spirit of Christ found in every believer. It is God's Holy Spirit within us that empowers us to remain faithful to Christ.
___John also emphasizes the power of the truth. All that is true comes from God (John 14:6). Lies come from Satan who is the "father of lies" (John 8:44).
___As long as the believer remains in the truth, he or she resides safely in the power of God.
___ The unmasking of antichrists (1 John 2:22-23). John's main concern is with the believer's ability to differentiate between the truth and the lies of the false teachers (antichrists). John unmasks the antichrists once and for all by identifying their essential trademark: They deny the true identity of Christ. This denial comes on two fronts: They deny his salvation when they deny him to be the Christ; they deny his deity when they deny his Father-Son relationship with God.
___ The perseverance of believers (1 John 2:24-27). Although the power of the antichrists can be extremely seductive and effective, every believer has the power to resist. The secret lies in abiding in the essentials of the faith. John encourages every believer to "let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning" (1 John 2:24).
___God has given every believer his Holy Spirit and his Holy Word. No one can ever take those away.
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