Test the spirits to see whether they are from God.1 John 4:1 John was dealing with false teachers. Behind every false teacher is a false spirit. Not every religion (or church) is a valid path to God. Every word spoken must be measured against the Word. What is the standard for your truth? You must find a church willing to…
This is the promise that He made to us- eternal life.1 John 2:25 Eternal life is promised if we abide in the Son and in the Father (1 John 2:24). Observing the truth with obedience does not mean easy going. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but you protect them from the evil one”…
No one who denies the Son has the Father.1 John 2:23 Many accept God as the Father but deny Jesus as the Son. An omitted truth is a lack of obedience to the Word. “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you before Abraham was, I Am’” (John 8:58). Jesus Christ is fully God and man. The supreme…
You have been anointed by the Holy One and you all have knowledge.1 John 2:20 Those who find Christ do not stand stationary. True belief results in being led by the Holy Spirit. A Christian who is positioned in righteousness proceeds anointed. We do not need to ask for a gift already given. We should, however, pray that the power…
It is the last hour…so now many antichrists have come.1 John 2:18a The arrival of the last hour is signaled by the appearance of opponents. Antichrist means adversary of the Messiah or a counterfeit christ. “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mark 13:22). False teachers use…
He is the propitiation for our sins.1 John 2:2 If you have sinned, you cannot stand in the presence of God. God offered Christ as the sacrifice to remove the barrier which sin creates. Jesus is the propitiation or the substitute for our sin. Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins in order to secure God’s mercy. The value of Christ’s…
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.Psalm 119:105 God is the source and scale for all that is true. Nothing is truly understood until it is understood in the light of God. “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding” (Ps. 119:130). When we open the Bible there is illuminating truth.…
Entrust [the gospel] to the faithful, who will be able to teach others.2 Timothy 2:2 Paul is telling Timothy to preach the truth of the Word, so the church can take the truth into the world. Do you consider yourself an entrusted witness of the Word? Our standard must be Christ and our structure must be built on the Word…
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17 At the moment of conversation, the Holy Spirit enters the life of the new believer. A person who was once confined in sin is free to live an abundant life. People are immediately saved when they believe in Christ. Once someone is saved, that belief initiates sanctification. Sanctification is a…