Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge
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. 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. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 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. 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. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
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. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 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.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1 John 2:18-29
In these verses, John brings us a warning that has been a problem since the beginning of the Church. John points to the fact that in his day there were false teachers and in the centuries that have passed since John wrote this letter the number of false teachers has only increased, along with their influence. The internet is a great tool for good, but it can also be used for evil and one of those evils is false teachers using it as a platform to spread their false teaching. So far, John has told us of the conflict between light and darkness and love and hate. Here John brings out a third conflict and its between truth and error. It is not enough for a follower of Christ to walk in light and love, they must also walk in truth.
John brings us this warning is stark terms. He calls the time in which they live the ‘last hour’ and the false teachers ‘antichrists’. The term ‘last hour’ reminds us that since the death and resurrection of Jesus the beginning of the end has started. We know for certain that one day Jesus will return and that has been the case since He ascended. God, through Jesus, shone light into the darkness and revealed His salvation plan. We now live in the light of the gospel and are in the ‘last hour’ before Jesus returns. There is nothing more that God must do for the salvation of sinners. So, the last hour began at the point of Jesus’ ascension and is still continuing today and with every day that passes we are one day closer to the day Jesus will return!
John points out three characteristics of a false teacher.
1. They depart from fellowship
Firstly, they depart themselves from fellowship with other believers, instead choosing to go solo. This is the first and often easiest thing to spot. The New Testament commands believers to meet together. The Christian life is not one that can or should be lived alone. When we go it alone, our thinking and theology goes wayward. We need other Christians and godly church leaders to keep us on track. True followers of Christ know their need for fellowship and seek it, not run from it.
2. They deny the faith
The second characteristic is that they deny the faith and by that I mean that they deny who Jesus truly is. The key question in Christianity is, “Who is Jesus?” C. S. Lewis said that Jesus is either mad, bad, or God. A true follower believes Jesus to be God. That is the only way to be saved. False teaches will often phrase it to sound like they believe this to be true but when you listen carefully you find its not. John points out in these verses that if you deny the Son you also deny the Father, so it is a very important question. Who is Jesus to you?
3. They lead others astray
Not content with turning their back on God themselves, false teachers then seek to lead others astray with them. John reminds the true followers that it is important to know the truth which they heard in the beginning and to cling to that. As we listen to Bible teachers, preachers, read books and listen to worship songs, these are all places we learn theology and false teaching can easily slip in. We need to constantly be asking the question, “Is this in-line with God’s inerrant, true, unchanging word?” And you can only answer that question if you have first spent time in God’s word, learning the truth.
John’s desire through this letter is that true followers may know their future is secure with Christ. And so he finishes this second chapter by urging his readers to continue in Christ, to run the good race and to cling to truth so that when we see Him face to face we can be confident and unashamed. What an amazing thought that we can stand before our creator God in that way one day! But don’t forget to do the hard work now of knowing God’s true word and clinging to it. Don’t let false teachers lead you astray.
Prayer for today
Heavenly Father,
We thank you that you have given us your word, the Bible, and that through it we can learn who you are and who you want us to be. May we daily desire to spend time with you in your word. Thank you that we have your Spirit of discernment within us and when we encounter false teaching may you reveal it to us and enable us to cling to the truth.
Thank you for the assurance of salvation we have and for the hope and joy we have in the knowledge of meeting you face to face one day as our living Father. Help us to live for your glory and honour.
We ask all this in Jesus’ name,
Amen
Song for today
You can listen and sing along here.
1 Teach me thy way, O Lord; teach me thy way!
Thy guiding grace afford; teach me thy way!
Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;
lead me with heav’nly light; teach me thy way!
2 When I am sad at heart, teach me thy way!
When earthly joys depart, teach me thy way!
In hours of loneliness, in times of dire distress,
in failure or success, teach me thy way!
3 When doubts and fears arise, teach me thy way!
When storms o'erspread the skies, teach me thy way!
Shine thro' the cloud and rain, thro' sorrow, toil, and pain;
make thou my pathway plain; teach me thy way!
4 Long as my life shall last, teach me thy way!
Where’er my lot be cast, teach me thy way!
Until the race is run, until the journey’s done,
until the crown is won, teach me thy way!
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
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