III. Warning to Remain in Christ’s Teaching (7-11)
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III. Warning to Remain in Christ’s Teaching (7-11)
7 One of the reasons that Christians need to know the truth is because many deceivers have gone out into the world. I love to watch magic shows. I’m amazed at how magicians can make things disappear or bend the laws of physics. How do they do it? They trick us! They create illusions, causing things to appear to contradict reality. John is warning his readers about “deceivers” who dupe people into believing what is not true. But John isn’t concerned about someone claiming to pull a rabbit out of a hat. He’s concerned about those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.
Truth is measured by what people conclude about Jesus Christ. He is in a class by himself. It doesn’t matter how eloquently a person speaks or what social causes he advocates. If he suggests Jesus is anything less than the eternal Son of God who became a sinless man, died to atone for sins, and rose from the dead, he is the deceiver and the antichrist. As John has said previously in 1 John, the Antichrist is coming and will appear during the great tribulation (see Dan 9:26-27; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2:3; Rev 11:2; 13:1-8), but little antichrists are active now (see 1 John 2:18). The category of antichrist applies to those who oppose and replace Christ. They were active in John’s day, and they’re active today.
8-9 God has rewards in store for his followers. Though you may receive some blessings on earth, no one obtains their full reward in history. Most is reserved for our heavenly eternity. But if you are unfaithful and allow yourself to be tricked regarding the truth, you can lose what God has in store and not receive your full reward (v. 8). What prevents this? Intimacy with God. You must remain in Christ’s teaching (v. 9). The word “remain” can also be translated “stay” or “abide”; the idea is to “be in close proximity.” You can’t be close to Christ without being close to his teaching. Intimacy with God requires remaining or abiding in his Word.
10-11 What do you do about someone who teaches something contrary to what Scripture reveals about Jesus Christ? Do not receive him into your home (v. 10). Know that the one who greets him shares in his evil works (v. 11). Importantly, in the early church, believers didn’t have church buildings but often met in each other’s homes (see Acts 2:46; 5:42; 20:20; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15). Thus, John warns the church to give no hearing or exposure to deceivers who do not hold to the truth of Christ. This doesn’t mean you can’t talk to unbelievers and try to evangelize them. Rather, it means the church must not give an audience to those who deny who Christ is. If someone’s wrong on this point, it’s a cataclysmic error.