What does it mean to be a Christian? It ought to be one of the easiest questions we ever answer. And yet, the enemy has been busy deceiving the world on a number of levels, even including the very foundation of what it means to be a Christian. The fallout to his deception is that we end up with people who claim Christianity who most certainly are not and therefore live in a horrible state of false assurance. And we end up with genuine Christians who are confused, lacking assurance, doubting their salvation, with no confidence regarding eternal life, and no conviction regarding the gospel they are called to proclaim. Both of those conditions must be addressed. And thus we understand the purpose of the apostle John’s first epistle. With love as his motivation, John sets out to restore assurance and confidence in the hearts of believers by reminding them of the truths which are blatantly obvious and which they most certainly already know. “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10)
John battled a counterfeit form of Christianity known as Gnosticism which denied the true nature of Jesus and overlooked a sinful flesh as insignificant. Today we also see a counterfeit brand of Christianity which is highly marketable and extremely attractive to an unregenerate world. It is a faulty form of religion, propagated by false prophets, which minimizes sin and emphasizes self; and sinners love it. It is heresy to the core, but it is not new. John saw the same. “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.” (1 John 4:5) But also like today, the message had grown so prevalent that many true believers apparently even began to question their own convictions and the doctrines they had always thought to be true. John wrote to these believers to confirm their faith, restore their assurance, and to remind them of the basics of what it means to be Christian. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5). Is their a freedom to sin? Then it is not Christianity. “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:7-8) Is there a lack of love? Then it is not Christianity. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) Is there love for the world? Then it is not Christianity. “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15) Is there a lack of obedience? Then it is not Christianity. “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;” (1 John 2:4) Is their a denial of Jesus? Then it is not Christianity. “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:23) It really isn’t a hard question to answer, it just happens to be a question that gets answered wrongly…a lot!
We invite you to join us in our study of this wonderful epistle so that you may be reminded of the things you know and so that you may enjoy the confidence and assurance which comes from these convictions. “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)
THIS STUDY BEGINS DECEMBER 5, 2021
