This morning, Hubby told me about a roommate who came home
one day excited because he bought a new stereo. It didn’t bother him that he
had no money left for his share of the rent, utilities and groceries. This
conversation was prompted by raises in insurance costs and how so many people
have no idea how to budget and live within their means.
You cannot spend more money than you make — at least not
for long without the debt catching up to you no matter how you do the math. Some
maxims are debatable. Some are not.
This also applies to Christianity. The Bible defends the
faith and makes clear that certain tenets of our faith cannot be twisted,
denied or left out. Those who do so are denying any claim to be Christian that
they might make. This includes people in mainline denominations, splinter
groups, isms, and cults, even any who attend evangelical churches but deny the
basics.
John writes his first letter to address the religious
system of that time known as Gnosticism. They believed that a person must set
himself free from the material world and be occupied alone with the spirit. For
them, this was their way of ‘superior knowledge’ and their salvation.
These Gnostics believed that matter was evil, thus the
human body was evil. Therefore God could not be manifest in the flesh which
would defile Him. In their error, Christ’s humanity was not real. It only
seemed so and the disciples where seeing a phantom. If He was truly man, the
Christ-spirit did not actually unite with Him, except maybe for the brief time
between the baptism and the crucifixion. This was, therefore, a denial of His
deity. To this denial, John warns his readers how to identify those who make
this error:
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. (1 John 2:18–20)
These words tell me two things. One, those who do not
believe Jesus is God in human flesh will not stick around true Christians for
long. They do not adhere to what we teach and preach so they leave.
Also, the reason we know Jesus is God is not about any ‘superior
knowledge’ but comes from a revelation by the Holy Spirit. He has anointed us by
His power so that we know the identity of Jesus Christ. We cannot explain it to
anyone that does not have the Spirit nor can we prove it. We just know it.
John goes on to say that anyone who denies Jesus is the
Christ is the antichrist. In his second letter he says:
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 7–9)
This is black and white teaching, not debatable. John even
adds this instruction: “If anyone comes
to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or
give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
(2 John 10–11)
We live in a gated community so have not had cult members
at our door for a few years. However, I’ve a relative in one of those groups
and he flatly denies that Jesus is God in human flesh. His group of people work
hard to appear Christian and draw others to their membership. At the same time,
if anyone leaves this group they are shunned and mistreated.
Yet they do leave. The grace of God reveals to them that
they have been duped and held by fear. This too is sad and another evidence
that their failure to believe in the deity of Christ has taken them down a path
of deception that leads to destruction. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will
change their thinking and open their eyes to this very basic truth taught in
Scripture and believed by millions whose lives have been changed because of it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lord Jesus, my heart aches more about lies and denial of
truth than all other sorrows in this world. We can suffer many things, but with
You as our Lord and Savior nothing is without purpose in our lives. This is
because You reign over this world in love and truth. With You all things are
possible. It makes my heart sad to hear people curse Your name, or even worse
deny that You are who You are. My most heartfelt prayer is that You will open
the eyes of the blind and lead those in darkness into the light of who You are
and what You have done for us.
Today’s thankful list . . .
- God’s Word that lets me know what God thinks.
- Jesus is meekness and majesty, manhood and deity — all
in one Person.
- Passed my annual physical today, at least until the
blood tests are done.
- having a doctor that makes me laugh and feel good.
- big fat bagels plastered with sesame seeds.
- spring-like weather in November.
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