Adversary or Lord?

On Thursdays I have been sharing a little bit about what I have been learning as I read through 1 John.

We have been reading about a paragraph at a time and began a new section last week.  It continues:

“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.”  1 John 2:20-23 NIV

These verses are a continuation of the paragraph from last week.  This is clear from the opening words “but you.”  If you recall, John was writing to distinguish the believers he is writing to from others who “went out from us.”  He tells the believers that if they had belonged “they would have remained.”  The implication here is that these people were not united with the body through Christ.  Here we begin to get a better picture of who these people were and how they are different from the believers who are reading John’s words. 

There are a number of allusions being made that will help us begin to understand what John is communicating.  Let’s take a look verse by verse.

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth” (v.20). 

Who is the Holy One?  And what is this anointing?

To answer this first question let’s take a look at a passage in  John’s telling of the gospel.

“Simon Peter answered [Jesus], “Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).

The Holy One is Jesus.  So what is the anointing they have received from him?

The NLT translates verse 20 this way: “for the Holy One has given you his Spirit.”

The believers have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, by Jesus.  Besides finding a slightly different translation, there is another key word that confirms that this anointing is indeed the Spirit.  The phrase is “the truth.”

Jesus tells his disciples:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. […]  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.  All that belongs to the Father is mine.  That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 14:16-17 and 16:13-15).

 

The word truth in Greek in John and in 1 John is alētheia.  It means “the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter” (VINES Expository Dictionary). 

John reminds these believers that they know the truth.  They know it because the Spirit is in them and “guides them into all truth.”  He reminds them that “no lie comes from the truth” (v.21).

Then, John tells them how to spot the liar.
 

“Who is the liar?  It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ” (v.22).

The liar does not recognize that Jesus is Lord.  In fact, he denies it. 

This is the central claim of the gospel—that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises to Israel; that he came in the flesh teaching us how to live; that he died for our sins; and that he defeated death in his resurrection proving he is the worthy judge and king--Jesus is Lord. 

John says the failure to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus shows a person to be antichrist.

“Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son” (v.22).

In his commentary, John Stott writes that “the early commentators understood the word [antichrist] to signify an ‘adversary’ of Christ” (p.104).  An adversary is one who contends with, opposes or resists.  Thus, antichrist contends with, opposes or resists Christ.

I either recognize Jesus is Lord or I am an adversary—contending with, opposed or resistant to Christ. 

This makes sense to me; and if I think about it honestly, it really makes me consider how I am acting in any given moment.  Am I yielded to Christ in what he is calling me to right now?  Or am I contentious, resistant, and opposed to what He is calling me to right now?  Sometimes I am so very aware of the battle within me.  Sometimes I follow as a believer should.  Yet, if I’m honest, there are times where I find that I am antichrist—more of a friend of the world than of God.

I should note that I believe John is talking a little more generally about the character of one's beliefs and actions to distingush the believer from the Gnostic, who does not in any way acknowledge that Christ is Lord.*  Still, I think it is important to consider--am I living the obedience that follows when one really believes in the Lordship of Christ?

John continues, “No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (v.23).

In these words I am reminded of a passage from the gospel of John.

“Thomas said to him, “Lord we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord show us the Father and it will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?  The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves” (John 14:5-11 NIV).

Here we see the unity that comes in Christ.  When we recognize that Jesus is Lord we have relationship with the Father because of the Son.  John says this in his letter too.

I like the way the Voice translates it “The one affirming the Son enjoys an intimate relationship with the Father as well” (v. 23).  In it, I think I begin to see this beautiful dance of Father, Son and Spirit that includes the one who trusts in Christ.  In Christ, we come to right relationship and unity with God. 

Perhaps this is why the next few verses in John 14 say this, “Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it” (John 14:12-14 TNIV).

It is when we trust in Christ and are yielded to him as Lord, unified with him and with our fellow believers that we will accomplish much.  We need not be afraid to ask Jesus for anything, because when we are aligned with the will of God, He is eager to see His kingdom come on earth.  This comes when we recognize Christ is Lord and honor Him as such.  This comes when we are yielded and connected and seeking God’s will.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we choose to say Christ is Lord today.  May we find the contention, opposition, and resistance subsides when we realize that we have two choices—to be a disciple or to be antichrist.  May we find submission is made so much more simple and may we discover our hearts are becoming more aligned with God’s will.  May we pray fervently for His kingdom to come through us and be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading as He guides us into all truth.

Jessica :)

*One thing I would like to acknowledge is that John is confronting a specific Gnostic belief as he talks about "Jesus is the Christ."  This statement would have carried with it the truth of the humanity of Jesus.  The Gnostics denied Christ’s humanity in two ways “(1) Some said that Christ only seemed to have a body, a view called Docetism, from the Greek dokeo (“to seem”), and (2) others said that the divine Christ joined the man Jesus at baptism and left him before he died, a view called Cerinthianism, after its most prominent spokesman Cerinthus.  This view is the background of much of 1 John.”  (from Jason’s NASB Study Bible by Zondervan). 

This is precisely addressed in 1 John 2:22 which we looked at today.  Yet, I find it so fascinating that even in the midst of words addressing such a particular heresy, I find John’s contrasts still very applicable today in my own life.  I hope you have discovered the same.  Blessings.

Brought to Complete Unity

On Thursdays I have been sharing a little bit about what I have been learning as I read through 1 John.

We have been reading about a paragraph at a time and have just finished up a few weeks looking at a few verses about the world.  This week we begin a new section.

“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 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.”  1 John 2:18-19 TNIV

 

As I read there are two things that I notice. 

The first is in verse 18 with the word antichrist.   In his commentary John Stott writes that “the early commentators understood the word to signify and ‘adversary’ of Christ” (p.104).  An adversary is one who contends with, opposes or resists.  Thus, antichrist contends with, opposes or resists Christ.  I plan to write about this a little bit more next week when John addresses this again in verse 22. 

It is the second thing that strikes me as most important today, the idea of belonging.  It seems to center around the word “remain.”  I find it puzzling at first, wondering if this is a literal remaining with the believers John is referring to.  I suppose this is possible.  However, as I read the passage in context for another time, I realize the word “remain” repeats.  In the next ten verses it appears two times and the idea is hinted at as well.  I think that when he uses the word in verse 19 he is using it in a similar sense as he does in verses 24 and 27. 

I begin by exploring the word “belong,” curious to know what the term means in the Greek.  It is actually two words eimi and ek.  Together they mean something like “to be out of” or “to be away from.” 

Those that do not belong do not have something the believers do.  What could it be?

The idea of not belonging seems to be in contrast to the word “remain” which is menō in the Greek.  It is sometimes translated “abide.”  It is the same word that Jesus uses when he talks about the vine and the branches and tells his disciples to “remain in my love.”

When John talks about this idea of remaining I cannot seem to separate it from John’s own words in the gospel he wrote.  Is this what he had in mind too?

What comes to mind is the prayer Jesus prays for all believers:

“My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.  Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.  Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”  John 17:20-26 TNIV

 

In this prayer, Jesus prays for the believers to be brought to complete unity.  This only happens through Him.  When we remain in Christ, we are one with Him; and through Him we are one with the Father and with the Spirit and with one another. 

John reminds the believers of this--their oneness in Christ.  They are one in Him.  They know the Father through Him.  The Spirit works in them through Him.  This is a oneness that some do not have—because they do not abide in Christ.  They are not one with Him.  They are antichrist. 

I’m trying to soak this idea in today, this oneness that comes through Christ.  Perhaps you’ll join me? 

Let’s abide and pray that through Christ we might be one.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we seek to remain in Christ.  May we desire the oneness He prayed for us.  May we discover unity in the Spirit and find that it is ever growing toward complete unity in Christ.  May we experience the beauty of oneness and the power that comes from it. 

Jessica :)

A Paste List

A few weeks ago when Crossroads was going through a series, "The Backyard Gospel," I thought our pastor shared a very interesting idea when he talked about how he prays for his friends who are not believers. 

He has a “paste list.”

He, simply, writes their name on a list that he keeps on his bathroom mirror.  Each day as he spends time brushing his teeth, he prays that they might come to know the freedom that comes from relationship with Christ. 

He shared that he was beginning this practice again. 

He had to make a new list. 

Because his old list?  The people who were on it are all walking with Christ now.

This got me to thinking. 

How often do I pray for my friends who don’t know who Jesus is?

I used to pray right regular for them.  But lately, I confess I’ve not been very faithful.

I do believe prayer works. 

So why do I fail to make time for something that is this important—the lives of my friends?

I do care.  I want to faithfully pray them across the threshold of faith.

So, today, I made a paste list.

I like something pretty to look at, so I pulled out my scrapbook supplies.

I choose green cardstock for the new life I hope they will lead in Christ. 

I place on white a sticker with leaves that reminds me of the growth that comes when we walk with Him. 

I write in pen the words that Peter spoke to the Lord.

“We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” 

I want them to speak this too.  I want them to be disciples who follow Him, like Peter. Even though the walk will not always be easy.  Even though they might stumble. And even when others around them become deserters, as it was when Peter spoke it.

I write their names, dark print on light.  Each one of them loved ones.

I put tape on the back of this list and fix it to the mirror. 

  

So whenever I come or go from the bathroom I can pick a name and pray.  A new habit.

And I hope I will pray them right into the Kingdom.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we spend time lifting up the names of our dear ones who have yet to taste the goodness of the Lord.  May we be faithful friends in prayer and conversation.  May He draw them near—wooing and winning their hearts with His love.

Jessica :)

People of the Light

I've been reading 1 John lately.  And this is what I've been thinking about:

“What we are telling you now is the very message we heard from Him: God is pure light, undimmed by darkness of any kind.  If we say we have an intimate connection with the Father but we continue stumbling around in darkness, then we are lying because we do not live according to truth.  If we walk step by step in the light, where the Father is, then we are ultimately connected to each other through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son. His blood purifies us from all our sins.”  1 John 1:5-7 the Voice

After his greeting in verses 1-4, John doesn't waste any time getting to the heart of the matter.

He begins contrasting two things.  Dark and light.

God is light. 

I like the way the Voice translates the Greek word for "light" here, phos.  Pure.  Undimmed by darkness of any kind.

This is what God is like.

And that which is not like God?  It is darkness.

What do you think about when you hear the word darkness?   

I think of the way shadows twist and contort as I move about my home in the middle of the night when the lights are out.  Things are not as they seem here. 

I also think about my natural tendency to hide when I do something wrong.  To conceal it.  To put it in a deep, dark corner.  To never talk about it.  To cover it up.  To lie about it.

The Greek word John uses for "darkness" is skotia.  It means "spiritual or moral darkness emblematic of sin as a condition of moral or spiritual depravity."  Brokenness.  Sin.

This epidemic is an old one.  It began in the garden with Adam and Eve.

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”  Genesis 3:6-8 TNIV

Before this, man never knew shame.

Before this, there was no reason to conceal anything.

Before this, man didn’t live in darkness.  Brokenness.  Sinfulness.

Now, darkness is the way of the world.

Yet, by the grace of God, we don’t have to live like this.

We can have an intimate connection with the Father and others through the blood of Christ.

We can walk in the light.  Phos.

John paints a picture of these two ways of living.

As he does so, it is important to note that he is talking about a particular type of person. 

He is talking about one who says they have koinonia with the Father. 

Remember that word?  It means fellowship.  It means communion.  It means you share a special bond. 

He is talking to believers.

This causes me to open my eyes and pay attention.  How about you?

We can walk in darkness.  Or we can walk in the light.

So what does that mean--"walk"?  The word for "walk," here, in Greek is peripateō.  It means “the whole round of activities of the individual’s life.”  Basically, the way one lives day in and day out.

Someone can say that they have fellowship with God and walk in the darkness.  John calls these people liars.  He says they don’t live the truth.  Ouch.

I’ve lived here before.  I sometimes still live here.  But I don’t want to.

And John tells of a better way.

“If we walk step by step in the light, where the Father is, then we are ultimately connected to each other through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son.  His blood purifies us from all our sins.” (v.7)

I like this translation, because it reminds me that walking in the light is to trust God, step by step.  Moment by moment.

That means I have to seek Him daily.  I have to submit daily.  And daily, as I do this, I have communion through Jesus, by way of the Holy Spirit.

Walking in the light is not always comfortable.

Walking in the light requires bringing those things I’d like to hide, those places of sinfulness in my life out into the light.  And that can be painful.  It is painful to confess to a friend that I shared something that maybe was meant for nobody’s ears but my own.  It is hard to ask for forgiveness.  But it is also good.

Walking in the light also requires me to do the things that I’m afraid to do.  It means walking in trust that God is with me every step of the way as I go to an unfamiliar place or try something new.  Those kinds of situations always bring up anxiety in me.  It is hard.  But it is SO good.

In the light we live as God’s changed people.

We recognize that Christ’s blood purifies us from all our sin.

We live humbly admitting our faults as we bring them to the cross.  We live loving others because we know what it is to be forgiven.  We live changed by God’s generous love.  We live conquering fear.  We live proclaiming Good News!  We live free.  We live letting go of control.  And as we do we become a little bit more like Christ.

We choose one path or the other.  Light or dark.

Let’s live as people of the light!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance as we live in the light, becoming people of the light, reflecting the glory of God to those in need of hope.

Jessica :)

P.S.  You can find the Greek Words by searching for the words at Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.  I have been having trouble linking to specific words for some reason.  So I'm sharing a link to the site where you can do your own search.  Hopefully it works!  Blessings. 

What We Proclaim

I’m reading through 1 John at present.  I like to read through the whole thing for context.  And I like to read through it slowly, a little bit at a time to allow the words to sink deep into my heart—hopefully thinking on them often, over days, and putting them into practice with my life.

I’ve been thinking about the first 4 verses of the book for a few weeks now.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched —this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”   1 John 1:1-4 (NIV)

The first thing that caught my attention was the language John uses. 

He writes “That which is from the beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.”  These are the different ways we experience the world.  John, as a disciple of Christ, had plenty of firsthand experience about Jesus to speak from.  When we have experienced something, we can speak about it in a way we couldn’t otherwise.  We understand it.  We have learned from it.  We know its value.

Another thing that caught my attention was that the phrase “we proclaim.”  It’s there two or three times depending on the translation you read.

So…what does it mean to proclaim?

The Greek word here is apangellō.  To declare or announce.  It basically means to share or make known.

And what is John making known?

He is making known that which he has heard, seen, looked at and touched about the Word of life--Christ. 



I know I've proclaimed this goodness before :)



This makes a lot of sense.  Don’t you think? 

We talk about the latest smart phone we have, telling others of the wonderful conveniences.  We share about the money we saved by switching from one company to another.  We proclaim the goodness of a new restaurant we tried or the amazingly huge chocolate chips in our favorite ice cream.  This works negatively as well.  We will warn people to stay away from a movie that we didn’t like or to avoid the highway construction by taking the faster detour.

So…really, we all proclaim something.



We proclaim because we can’t help it.  It just happens.  When we have experienced something that has made a difference in our lives, we share it with others. 

We also proclaim because in the midst of sharing we connect with others.  When we bond over things we share, there is a closeness that is present between us.

This is true in 1 John too.

John proclaims so those who receive his letter may have “fellowship.”

The word for fellowship in Greek is koinonia.  It means communion.

I like the way the Voice translation reads: “What we saw and heard we pass on to you so that you, too, will be connected with us intimately and become family.”

John wants communion—an intimate connection.  A family connection.  And this through Jesus.

Do you know that connection?  I do.

When I sit around the table laughing with my dear friends who know Jesus, I know this communion.  When I share my story of transformation or ask my sisters in Christ to pray for me when I am struggling, I know an intimate connection.  A family connection.  And this through Jesus.  

I want my friends who walk in relationship with Jesus to be brought closer to him.  And I want my friends who haven't heard of God's love to know this communion too. 

So…what is it we proclaim, each day?   

 Sometimes discipleship is proclaiming the way that we have been transformed by Christ.

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we experience relationship with Christ and allow it to change us.  May proclamation be the natural response to God’s goodness.

Jessica :)