This week's Bible Study - June 21, 2009
Ground in Truth
 Background Scripture:
1 John 2:18-27; 4:1-6
Quote of the Week:
“The first reaction to truth is hatred”
-- Tertullian
What are the reasons for ground rules? If you play sports, whether competitively or recreationally, there are ground rules that define how the game should be played. If the rules aren't followed, the game falls apart and becomes less than desired. If you've ever played a new sport or game, you see how important it is to follow the rules. Making up rules may seem like fun, but it's not playing the game as intended.
Even if it isn't a sport, we have a need for some solid, non moving ground truth in almost everything we do. If you're driving a vehicle, there are some very important ground rules that you must follow for your safety, as well as anybody else on the road. Some of these rules change from country to country, but everywhere has its own set of things that need to be adhered.
Ground rules and ground truth are similar but different. Ground truth to Christians is not the rules by which we play the game, but is the very foundation which sets us apart from any other religion. It isn't as much about how a worship service is to be held or the rules governing any other service in the church. It is truly about the truth upon which we are based - both as all Christians and individually. The truth is the message of Jesus Christ. In our world, there are so many people that choose to look at different aspects of our faith and make it the main thing. They seem to de-emphasize the role of Jesus Christ. This passage, as well as many others, puts out a stern warning to those who do not confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
We learn in this passage that time is drawing near. We need to realize that we are truly in the last days and that should impact the way that we live. We certainly do not know the time nor date when the end will come, but we can see the signs around us. The antichrist is coming, and even now many antichrists have appeared. Throughout Scripture, God told his people in His word that the antichrist would be the world leader that would rise against the Messiah, seeking to serve as a counterfeit of the true Messiah. But, in this definition of antichrists, we see that there are many.
Many of these antichrists went out from us (the body of believers). In reality, they were not believers, but were only in the midst of other believers. Being in a church among believers does not make one a believer any more than being in a lake makes one a fish. If these people had been of God, they would have remained. Is it astounding to think that there may be an antichrist like this in our local congregation, as one who is denying the truth of Jesus?
A key lesson here is that true believers cannot fall away, while false believers must one day fall away. Now, there are people who have left one church to go to another. They may have had some problems with something in the church - this is not what this passage is talking about. This passage can be troublesome to many people. They saw others baptized as they were. They participated in the Lord's Supper as they did. They seemed to trust in Christ, but they left. The problem is that they rejected the Messiah.
As believers, we have an anointing from the Holy One, and we know the truth. This anointing is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Some people may claim to have special revelation from God, but all believers have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. John is encouraging us in writing because we know the truth. He wants us to have confidence in the things that we believe. The unity that we have as believers is to be built around the truth. It's not just a sentimental thing, but the tie that binds us is Jesus Christ. This is how we have genuine Christian fellowship. No true believer will ever disassociate himself from the fellowship of Christ.
There are many tests that we might take to see our authenticity as believers. They could be moral (are you growing closer to Christ in the way you live your life?), relational or fellowship (are we loving one another in the church?), but these verses point to a doctrinal test. The main point is what one does with Jesus Christ. Who do they believe Jesus to be? Who do they accept him to be? Do we love a Jesus of our own imagination and invention, or do we embrace the Jesus in the scriptures?
The liar denies that Jesus is the Christ… many movements proclaim Jesus, but a different Jesus. You may remember the Jesus Seminar that was founded in the mid 80s. They include scholars with advanced degrees in biblical studies, religious studies or other fields involved with religion. Their reconstruction of the historical Jesus portrays him as one who did not die as a substitute for sinners nor did he rise from the dead. They say that he turned common-sense ideas upside down, confounding the expectations of the audience. Hmmm. Is this the same Jesus that you hear preached in your church?
There were early teachers that taught that there was Jesus of Nazareth and then there was the Messiah - not the same person. For a while the Messiah inhabited Jesus, but left Jesus prior to the crucifixion. This isn't the Jesus of the Scripture. The Christ of the Bible is God in the flesh - two natures, human and divine.
The antichrist denies the Father and the Son. If you deny the Son, you don't have the Father. If you confess the Son, you have the Father. Denial of the Bible's teaching about Jesus will lead to spiritual disaster. If a person says that they believe in God as Creator and believes that they have a relationship with that God, but they do not believe in Jesus, they do not have a relationship with the one, true God. In the land that most of us live, there is no penalty or persecution for belief. It is, in many ways, easy. In other parts of the world, to believe in Jesus Christ can lead to death. We likely say we believe, but are we so bought into that truth that we would die for it? On this truth, everything else hangs or falls.
We are to let what we have heard from the beginning abide in us. The things that they heard from the early apostles are still the things we need to abide in. It is easy to go to a Christian bookstore and find all kinds of books that might be helpful, but we must remember that only the Scripture is absolute truth. Neither this lesson nor any other helpful books are truth - they are only a commentary of the Scripture. We need to go back to the basics of our faith and find that absolute truth as our anchor. It's more than knowing certain facts and being good about Bible Trivia. We must embrace in the truth. If you do so, you will abide in the Son and in the Father.
One precondition is hearing. We have all heard at least the basic gospel presentation, but are we positioning ourselves in a position to hear? Are you involved in regular Bible Study and allowing God's word to impact your life? There are helpful studies of books and groups that are looking into topical studies. But, is the Bible still the truth?
We have a great promise, but that promise is more than mere theology or a way of thinking. We are indeed promised eternal life. Some people will try and deceive you. They say that you have Christ - but you need more, or perhaps you don't need him at all. If you are not involved in Bible Study, you will not be able to tell when people are consistent with Scripture.
As believers, the Holy Spirit abides in us and teaches us. There are many roles of the Holy Spirit that works in a person's life, but the presence implies that God is with you. The Holy Spirit teaches you truth, and allows you to abide in Christ.
As we go through life as believers, we will from time to time hear things that are just wrong. Don't be too quick to just accept anything you hear because it comes from behind a pulpit or on a evangelical TV show. Don't just accept it. There are some people who are ignorant of the truth and then there are others that are deliberately masking the truth. Just remember that God is consistent and we as humans aren't. While a personal desire for holiness is a great need, the need for discernment among believers is also important.
The key is how they profess Jesus Christ. Do they profess him as coming in the flesh from God? The antichrists will perhaps talk about Jesus, but they will downplay parts or will just change the 'facts' to make their point.
We are from God and greater is He who is in us that he who is in the world. Realize that your strength and power comes from God, and not from within. I believe that we will often start to think of ourselves as invincible, apart from God, and that is when the real dilemma comes in. This discernment need is not just being smart enough - it is truly a spiritual matter.
They are from the world. They sound like the world, they look like the world and the world listens to them. Don't be surprised if people you know disregard your message in lieu of another one that appeals to them more. We get caught up into thinking that is more about the packaging than the content. We have a message that is not only true, but that can change the lives of others. Don't change the message to get a following. It really takes the Holy Spirit working in the life of an nonbeliever before they will accept the truth of Christ. So, stay with the truth and let the Holy Spirit do the work.
Closing
As mentioned in this lesson, you may think of the Christian life as having a few tests. One is the moral test - are you growing closer to God? One is the social test - are you loving the others around you? And this lesson is about a doctrinal test - who do you say Jesus is?
Don't strive to be the smartest person with the most knowledge. Instead, learn what God is saying and allow it to impact your life. If you continue learning what God teaches, then you'll be able to abide in truth. That truth is based upon the person of Jesus Christ. It may not be a popular position among many people, but it is the truth, nonetheless. Abide in the truth.
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