Deceptions,Part 3--1 Jn 2:24-27

Dealing With Deceptions—Part 3
Two Safeguards Against Error

1 John 2:24-27

Introductory Thoughts

· Cults are nothing new in the church world
· False doctrine is nothing new
· Deception by false teachers is nothing new
· But our age has seen a multiplication of heresies.
· In the last lesson, we saw a contrast between true believers and the false teachers, and we discovered the essence of their error was denying the Person and Work of Christ.

· Now, in the passage before us, we find two definite safeguards against error.

The reason for the writing—1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.

· This is a doctrinal statement, John is dealing with a doctrinal problem.

1. First, a word about doctrine, period. In his epistle, Jude wrote the churches in general, telling them: Jude 3, “…Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you to exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for THE FAITH which was once delivered unto the saints."

a. For THE FAITH once delivered.

(1) There is no hint of inclusivism in the New Testament

(2) There is One Way, There Is One Savior, and the options are God’s Way or the way of perdition.

(3) Historic Christianity is called “THE FAITH.”

Acts 6:7 "… great company of the priests were obedient to THE FAITH."
Acts 14:22 "… and exhorting them to continue in THE FAITH…”
Acts 16:5 "And so were the churches established in THE FAITH…"
1 Cor 16:13 "Watch ye, stand fast in THE FAITH, …”
2 Cor 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in THE FAITH…”
Eph 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of THE FAITH…”
Phil 1:27 "… with one mind striving together for THE FAITH of the gospel;"
Col 1:23 "… continue in THE FAITH grounded and settled,…"
Col 2:7 "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in THE FAITH, …”
1 Tim 3:9 "Holding the mystery of THE FAITH…"
1 Tim 4:1 "… in the latter times some shall depart from THE FAITH,…”

(4) The Faith “Once Delivered…” A sacred trust of doctrine to be handed down.

2 Tim 2:2 “…the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

b. The Doctrine of Doctrine

(1) Doctrine was the distinctive thing about Jesus’ earthly ministry of preaching and teaching

Mat 7:28
Mat 22:33
Mark 1:22 "And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes."

(2) Doctrine was central to New Testament church life—Acts 2:42 "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

(3) One of the chief goals of the ministry is for every believer to be mature in doctrine: Eph 4:14 "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"



(4) Being wrong on vital doctrine is a matter of life and death, spiritually—2 John 1:9-10 "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:"

2. The First Safeguard against error—Actively retaining the knowledge of the Truth— 1 John 2:24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

a. (NASB) “As for you…” it is the first word in the Greek sentence, so it is being emphasized.

(1) Emphatic contrast with the antichrists[1]
(2) Personal responsibility—the antichrists did not receive the love of the truth (2 Thes 2:7-12), and you have received the Truth and the Love of it.

b. The substance of The Faith—“...that …which you heard from the beginning…”

(1) One hallmark of a cult is a totally new twist on salvation or on the Person of Christ, or on the Nature of God.

(2) John is telling them that they are to remain, to abide, in the original apostolic doctrines they were taught. This treasure to be passed on, this treasure of The Faith—it is that in which they are to abide.

(a) Acts 2:42
(b) 1 Cor 15:1-4
(c) Gal 1:6-9

(3) Of what does this Faith consist? The apostolic preaching:

(a) The Character of God
(b) The Nature of God
(c) The Word of God
(d) Human sinfulness
(e) The Person and Work of Christ—Who He Is, What He Did
(f) Salvation by Grace through faith
(g) A consistent lifestyle
(h) Real discipleship
(i) The Second Coming

c. “Abide…” present active imperative—

(1) A command
(2) Continually let abide
(3) Actively let abide

d. The Reward of abiding—fellowship with God—“…you also will abide in the Son and in the Father…”

(1) It is not that we earn life by abiding, but those in whom the Truth abides are giving positive evidence of the actuality of their salvation
(2) Also, for the believer who fulfills his responsibility, the reward will be an increased fellowship with God.

e. The End Result of Abiding—Eternal life— 1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He has promised us; eternal life.

3. The Second Safeguard against error—The Indwelling Holy Spirit—1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

a. In the Greek, the same beginning as verse 24—“As for you…” Again, the emphasis is on the believer.

b. What is this “anointing” talking about?

(1) The Anointing comes from Him (Christ)
(2) The Anointing indwells us
(3) The Anointing teaches us, “leads us into all truth.”
(4) So, the Anointing refers to the Holy Spirit, though the neutral and impersonal words emphasize His ministry and its effects rather than His person.

c. Important point—you can be dead right on doctrine and be just plain dead spiritually.

(1) Many formerly orthodox Christians have over the years succumbed to the cults, because a knowledge of the Truth is of no use to you in defense against the attacks of Satanic lies unless you are born again and have the Spirit living within.
(2) Dead orthodoxy consists of someone seeing the logical structure of the Truth and believing that structure without ever touching the heart of that structure.

(a) One of the problems with that approach is that the logic of God is not the same as human logic.
(b) A cult devised by man may actually seem superior in some way when viewed through merely human logic.
(c) So, the head-only Christian is vulnerable to lies.

d. Facts about the Holy Spirit.

(1) The Holy Sprit is from The Father and the Son

(a) John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

(b) John 14:16-17 ""And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

(2) The Holy Spirit indwells believers—Rom 8:9, 14

(3) The Holy Spirit leads into all Truth—John 14:26

e. A Point of order—Do we not need teachers? “…you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him…”

(1) This is a classic case of a misused verse—some insist that no teachers in churches are needed, and that the priesthood of the believer necessarily involves no need for a teaching ministry.
(2) it would be most curious indeed for the apostle, who had taught them before, and who was, by letter, teaching them now, to say they really needed no teachers at all.
(3) The Biblical rule is that if the plain meaning of the text makes no sense, another meaning must be found.

(4) Finding the meaning—

(a) Remember the purpose for this paragraphèThe reason for the writing—1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.
(b) So, John is dealing with false teachers who are wrong on basic doctrine as well as other things.
(c) The context:

(i) Is that these false teachers are teaching something very different on basic doctrine, a doctrine which the believers here already had learned the Truth about—the nature of Christ Himself.
(ii) John has reminded them of the basic doctrine in question, but he does not tell them to re-learn it, he tells them to abide in it.
(iii) Then he tells them that it is the anointing, the indwelling Holy Spirit, who will help them abide in the Truth, and they are to abide in Him as well
(iv) Because they already had the Truth in this area, and because they had the indwelling Holy Spirit, they had no need of someone to teach them—especially since the “someones” in question were teaching false doctrine.
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament, Volume VI, page 217.