1 John Bible Study: Encouragement in Truth (4)

Last Week’s Recap:

Last week we defined the term Antichrist in how it relates to the epistles of John.

The Antichrist is a spirit.

The Antichrist was many and spread by false teachers.

Matt 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

The spirit of Antichrist will come and try to deceive those in the church. It will work through false teachings, where today we see such teaching in religions such as New Age Religion, Mormonism (redefined Christ with a lower Christology), and the Reimagined Christ according to the conference held in 1994 in MN.

In essence, it supplies a replacement Christ for the true Christ as defined by John’s community.

Beginning Text:

1 Jn 5:13-15 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Lesson Connection:

The Good Reassured, the Bad Made Afraid. Augustine: I am judging. What a relief, what reassurance! [The Lord] is judging; the good can be reassured. No opponent can corrupt their judge, no counselor twist him round their little finger or witness play fast and loose with him. But just as the good can be reassured, so to the same extent the bad should be afraid. He is not the sort of judge things can be kept hidden from. Do you imagine, after all, that God as judge is going to examine witnesses, to learn from them who you may be? How can he possibly be mistaken about who you may be, seeing that he knew what you were going to be?

Kenneth Stevenson and Michael Gluerup, eds., Ezekiel, Daniel, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 112.

Understanding Eternal Life

We should understand an important lesson here: that is, John is not saying you cannot fall away from Christ. If this were the case, John would not be discussing a mortal sin that a believer can commit just a few verses down. Throughout this series, we have discussed various faiths that alter Christ into something he is not. Loving He is. However, one should still understand that he will be the judge of the day of the Lord.

Let us examine a dangerous doctrine taught from 1 Jn 5:13 to better understand what John is not saying -

T - Total Depravity

U - Unconditional Election

L - Limited Atonement

I - Irresistible Grace

P - Perseverance of the Saints

Theologians have often summarized Calvinism by these 5 points.

Total Depravity - refers both to the damaged relationship between God and humans and to the corruption of human nature such that there is within every human an ongoing tendency toward sin.

Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 37.

In this first point, we would agree with Calvin; that is, that man is unable to know God in his current state of sin. However, we should further that those reborn put away the ways of the flesh and put on Christ as a new creature.

Unconditional Election - A view associated with Augustine and Calvinism that God elects to save some solely on the basis of God’s freedom and love and not on the basis of any merit or efforts on the part of humans.

Donald K. McKim, The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), 330.

Here we began to separate from Calvin’s teachings. We would advocate that a human being has a decision to choose to follow Christ or not. God did not rob humanity of his/her free will. One’s actions are vital to salvation, as obedience is what signified the faith of Abraham. If Abraham would not have obeyed, would it have been faith in God?

Limited Atonement - is a bit tricky as there are some he fall closer to an Arminian view that is Universalists in nature.

Universalism is the teaching that all men will be saved. However, the opposite side of limited atonement is that Christ died only for the elect. This would seem to contradict the fact that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.

It should be better understood that Christ died for all humanity, while only those who obey/receive Him will have eternal salvation.

Irresistible Grace - Simply identifies that Christ Grace is irresistible to humanity. Calvin’s view is that the elect are drawn to this Irresistible Grace for regeneration.

While this is true, the elect are elect by decision rather than predestination. Again, God gave humanity choice even though he knows what will happen throughout all time.

Perseverance of the Saints - a.k.a. “Once Saved Always Saved”

We know this to be false, as God calls us into a deeper walk with Him daily. Once saved God commissions the church to see souls saved; however, a falling away can take place.

1 Jn 16-19 “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye…”

What are ways that you have observed the falling away of saints? Did false doctrines induce this? Did sinful activities induce this?

John is writing to provide a stamp of approval over the life of his community. He is the pastor of the Church in Ephesus; hence, he is providing reassurance to those walking in truth. He is not saying that one cannot fall away. He is simply saying that they are in the truth and as a result have eternal life.

Conclusion:

In our series we have learned that this world constantly looks to redefine who Christ is. As Oneness believers, we must hold fast to “hear o Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord!” We hold fast that God was manifest in the flesh!

We must hold fast to Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

1 Tim 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Jesus is fully man and fully God; hence, we should guard ourselves from anything that would try to alter this foundational truth. He was not a phantasm. He was not a demigod. He was God manifest in the flesh!

We have known God through the Son, which is Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that we have truth and have obtained the Spirit of Truth according to 1 Jn 5:20.

Let us abide in him as He abides in us. By remaining in the truth, we know that we have eternal salvation!