A STUDY IN 1 JOHN (18)

 

Abide in What Ye Have Heard

1 John 2:24-29

Victor M. Eskew

 

            The theme of 1 John is “Maintaining Fellowship with God.”  Fellowship involves sharing, communion, and joint participation with the divine persons of the Godhead.  In order for John’s readers to do this, they needed to do as the apostle instructs in 1 John 2:24.  “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.  If that which have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”  The pure, unadulterated gospel had been proclaimed to them when they initially obeyed the gospel.  This is what they needed to continue in at this time.  Jesus affirmed this during His earthly ministry.  “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).  What the gnostic teachers were proclaiming was different than what these Christians initially received.  John was reminding them of what Paul affirmed to the Galatians.  A different gospel cannot save (Gal. 1:6-9).  It is sad to see individuals who trusted in the truth when they were first converted turn away from the truth and submit to fables and false teaching.  Those who cease abiding in the Word of God cannot maintain their fellowship with the Father and Son (See Heb. 10:38-39; 2 John 9).  We could entitled this verse:  “Abide to Abide.”

            The final result of abiding in the teachings of Christ is found in 1 John 2:25.  “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”  Isn’t eternal life what all men desire?  Yes, we will die here, but after that we can live forever.  The faithful disciple crosses over the stormy waters of Jordan and enters into the Promised Land where death can no longer touch him.  He dwells with deity.  He is separated from sinners.  He rests from his labors.  He wears a white robe and a royal crown.  And, he praises the one who brought him victory over the evil one.  This verse could be entitled:  “The End:  Eternal Life.” 

            Before we leave this verse, let’s put a nail in the coffin of the doctrine called “once saved, always saved” or “the perseverance of the saints.”  This doctrine affirms that Christians have eternal life the moment they accept Jesus into their hearts as their Savior.  If this is the case, why does John call eternal life a promise.  A promise is something that is expected to be received in the future.  It is not a present reality.  This coincides with Paul’s words in Titus 1:2 where he refers to eternal life as part of the Christian’s hope.  Hope is something that is not yet seen (Rom. 8:24).  The Calvinist would argue that Jesus affirmed that Christians have eternal life right now.  “…He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath eternal life…” (John 5:24).  If this is the case, we have two inspired men contradicting the Lord.  Jesus is speaking in what has been called “the prophetic present.”  Jesus looks down the corridors of time.  He argues that if His disciples continue to hear and continue to believe eternal life is absolutely certain.  In fact, it is so certain that He speaks of it as a present reality.  But, Jesus knew that it was not an immediate.  His word teaches that ternal life is a promise.  It teaches that eternal life is a part of our hope to come.

            John makes it clear why he has written this epistle.  “These things have I written unto you concerning them what seduce you” (1 John 2:26).  False teachers, antichrists, had entered into the ranks of these Christians.  They were denying that Jesus is the Christ.  Their false teaching asserted that God’s children could engage in the works of the flesh.  This was not the teaching these Christians initially received.  John says they were being seduced.  The word “seduced” means “to be led astray” or “to be led from the right way.”  John knows there is only one way of righteousness.  If these false teachers were believed, John’s “little ones” would lose their fellowship with God.  He did not want this to occur.  Thus, he did not hesitate to expose the error of the antichrists.  We might call this verse:  “The Effort to Expose.”

            In our previous article, we studied what John called the “unction from the Holy One” received by those first century Christians.  John returns to that thought in 1 John 2:27.  “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:  but as the anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”  Various gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to these Christians in order to reveal the truth to them and to protect them from the false teachers of that age.  John was exhorting them to rely on these gifts.  They did not need to be taught by the gnostics who boasted of superior knowledge.  The Holy Spirit would teach them “all things.”  His words were “truth,” and “no lie.”  If these children of God would adhere to the Spirit’s teachings, John told them:  “…ye shall abide in him,” that is , they would maintain fellowship with God.  Why men turn from what God has revealed in His Word to the fanciful teachings of men is hard to understand.  Why exchange the words of deity for the words of men?  Why exchange truth for lies?  If we sincerely desire to maintain our fellowship with God, we must give heed to Paul’s words found in Colossians 3:16.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly in all wisdom…”  We have entitled verse 27:  “Attention to the Anointing.”

            John had given his readers one motivation to abide in the Lord’s teaching in verse 25.  Now, he provides another motivator.  “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).  Another word for confidence is assurance.  When the Lord comes, we must have assurance that we are saved.  We must have assurance that we are accepted of Him.  We must have assurance that we will hear the words:  “Well done thou good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21, 23).  The only other alternative is to stand before the Lord ashamed.  Those who stand before the Lord ashamed stand before Him in shame and in disgrace.   They stand in shame of themselves.  Many will stand ashamed in the Last Day.  They heard the truth.  They knew the truth.  Perhaps, they obeyed the truth.  Unfortunately, they did not abide in the truth.  Since they did not abide in the truth, they did not abide in the Lord.  This verse bears the title:  “Assured? Or, Ashamed?”

            John ends this portion of his epistle writing about those who are born of God.  In order to be in fellowship with God, one must have a relationship with Him.  A person must be part of the family of God to be in fellowship with God.  This can only be done one way.  A person must be righteous as He is righteous.  “If ye know that he is righteous, ye now that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”  A righteous man does what is right.  When he does what is right, he is born of God.  What is right does not originate in the heart of man.  Man is not saved by works of righteousness he devises from within his own imaginations (Tit. 3:5).  Works of righteousness that bring salvation proceed from the mouth of God.  This righteousness is found in the gospel of Christ.  “For therein (the gospel) is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:  as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17, emp. mine, vme).  When a person does what is right, that is, practices righteousness by obeying the Word of God, he is born of God.  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 2:23).  We have titled this verse:  “Relationship through Righteousness.”

            John knew the jeopardy these false teachers were bringing upon the souls of these early Christians.  He longs for them to maintain their fellowship with the Father and Son.  He reminds them that this is done by abiding in the truth that they had heard from the beginning.  This is something they could be done because they had received the anointing of the Holy Spirit.   They possessed the miraculous gifts of the Spirit that enabled them to know the truth.  If they would standfast in the truth, they would have confidence when the Lord returned.  Too, they would receive the promise of eternal life.