The Epistle of 1 John – Part Six

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

This is the sixth part of a series on the epistle of 1 John written by John the apostle. In this series we will cover the basic concerns John had for writing this letter to Christians. Included are the fourteen reasons he wrote these epistles of 1, 2 and 3 John as well as the eleven assurances we have that establish our salvation as a Christian.

 

In 1 John 2:21 we find another reason John wrote these epistles to Christians in Asia Minor. John did not write these letters because the Christians didn’t know the truth, but because they DID know the truth. He states,

 

“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.”

 

John was aware of what the followers of Christ knew because he was their spiritual authority and they were his disciples. He traveled throughout Asia Minor teaching at the various churches and overseeing their spiritual lives. His point in this verse is that he is not writing to an uninformed audience. But while they knew the basics of the Christian faith, they needed to be reminded again of what they believed. Various verses in scripture mention the necessity of Christians being reminded of what they know.

 

John 14:26

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

 

Romans 15:15-16

“I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,”

 

1 Corinthians 4:17

“For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.”

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-2

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

 

2 Peter 1:12-13

“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,”

 

Because we tend to be forgetful, we need to be reminded of what we have learned as believers at times. This is why we have pastors and teachers of the Word who preach and teach in churches all over the world. We don’t absorb the Word completely with a single teaching. We are distracted by our surroundings and our responsibilities, not to mention the fleshly temptations we battle. God, aware of how weak we are, knows we need to have repetitive exposures to what we believe, numerous instructions on how to live what we have accepted and multiple opportunities to think about what we know. God is patient with us and consistently seeks to expose us to the same truths over and over until they deeply embedded in our heart, mind and soul.

 

John also mentions in this verse that “no lie comes from the truth.” This may seem a rather odd statement, because Christians should already know that God’s Word does not lie. But we have to remember that John was concerned about the false teachers that were infiltrating the church. The Gnostics and others were twisting scripture and saying it said things that it did not. This could give the perception that the Word was full of lies. Other false teachers were probably criticizing the Word of God because it did not agree with their false beliefs so John wanted to reestablish that the Word of God as Jesus taught it was truthful and it did not contain a single lie or misstatement. Many passages address the fact that God’s Word is truth, that God speaks the truth and God stands for the truth.

 

John 17:17

“Your word is truth.”

 

Psalms 31:5

“Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.”

 

Psalms 119:30

“I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.”

 

John 16:13

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

 

John 15:26

“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.”

 

John 8:31-32

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

Next John covers in this epistle his current definition of what makes a person a liar when it comes to their perception of who Jesus was and is. He states in 1 John 2:22-23,

 

“Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

 

Paul is saying here that you can test the intentions, beliefs, morals, commitment and truthfulness of a person by how they view Jesus. If they deny that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was God in the flesh, that He died for the sins of mankind, that He rose from the grave, that He is coming back to claim His own, that He was perfect and holy, they not only have failed to accept Him as their Savior, they are a liar because they live a lie. They are living a lifestyle denying Christ as Lord and therefore they are “anti” Christ. A person who is an “anti-Christ” is someone who rejects Jesus and refuses His lordship over their life. They are in rebellion to Him. They refuse His sacrifice for their sins and wish to live without Him. Even though these individuals may be cordial and friendly in conversation, may treat others with kindness at times, may be fun and exciting to be around, may give money and possessions to the poor and needy and may even endure hardship to help make the world a better place, if they reject Jesus as the Christ, the Savior of the world, they are an “anti-Christ.” Because they do not have a relationship with Jesus, they do not have a relationship with God the Father either. Remember In Luke 11:23 Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me.” Our ministry as Christians is to witness the gospel to these people who are “anti” Christ and love them with the love of Jesus. But we are to avoid intimate relationships with them because they do not have a commitment to Christ and can affect or influence our relationship with Christ.

 

John moves from these statements about “antichrists” to an encouragement for Christians to remain established in the Truth that they have heard from Jesus and the apostles. 1 John 24-25 states,

 

“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 — even eternal life.”

 

John is concerned that the Christians in Asia Minor are not influenced by the talk and behavior of these “antichrists” and so he states that if they stand firm on what they have heard concerning Jesus, they will continue in their strong and vibrant relationship with their Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Remaining in the truth and living the Christian life according to the model of Jesus will bring us what God promised, eternal life.

 

In 1 John 2:26 John gives us the thirteenth reason for writing these epistles.

 

“I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.”

 

We have covered this before, but John repeats and repeats his thoughts to drill into the followers of Christ the danger that is threatening them and the necessity to remain in the truth. Many verses in scripture talk about those who lead people away from the Lord

 

Isaiah 3:12

“O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path.”

 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”

 

Matthew 7:15

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

 

Matthew 24:24

“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible.”

 

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.”

 

1 Timothy 6:3-5

“If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

 

2 Peter 2:1-3

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.”

 

So we have learned that God’s Word is truth and no lie comes from it. We have learned that there are people who are against Christ because they refuse to accept Him as Lord and fail believe in who He is. We have learned that it is extremely important to stand firm in the truth we have accepted concerning Christ and remain committed to it.