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The Holy Spirit is Key to Discerning the Truth

The Holy Spirit is Key to Discerning the Truth - A study in John 2:18-29

There is a greater urgency to discern truth from lies. We are told churches are unsafe for people to assemble but casinos and big box stores are safe. We grow weary hearing all this. But the enemy doesn’t let up on his attacks. So we must remain vigilant, diligent and prepared. John wrote this epistle to declare the truth and fight against lies that hurt people and the lies turning them away from the truth.
1 John 2:18. The last hour describes a kind of time not a duration. Paul describes this time in 1 Timothy 4:1-3. People leave the faith and believe deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Remember antichrist can be defined as “against Christ” and “instead of Christ.”
Verse 2:19. ”They” are the ones who oppose Christ. “Us” are those who believed Christ and stayed with Him. Those who oppose Christ adhere to doctrines not taught in God’s word.
Fast forward to today. We say some (not all) who left the church and not returned because of Covid-19 have believed a lie. Yes. The virus is real, it is contagious, and some have died from it but the viruses in past years did not create this response by government officials. Our enemy is behind this.
Verse 2:20. Christians have the Holy Spirit residing within them and those who oppose Christ do not. What does it mean, “and you know all things?” This refers to the truth. The Holy Spirit is our teacher teaching us all things (see John 14:26).
Verse 2:21. What are some basic truths? God exists. He created all things. Adam and Eve sinned plunging all mankind into darkness. Their punishment was death - first immediate spiritual death then eventually physical death. All of us inherited the sin nature from Adam and Eve. God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins that we may have eternal life with Him. There is no lie in these truths. The false teachers claimed salvation can be achieved through knowledge or through a special anointing. This is a lie. This is what the cults do. They deny Jesus. The seeker friendly churches deny sin exists and that they can improve themselves through self effort. They fail to realize everyone is spiritually dead in their sins. Dead means not alive.
Verse 2:22-23. Satan is the father of lies. His followers speak lies. To deny Jesus is the Christ is to refuse to recognize or acknowledge Him. Jesus said, “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt 10:32-33). They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. (Titus 1:16). I think of those who have left the church because of this virus with no intent to return. This is serious.
It’s easy to fall away. We must remain diligent to stay close to Him.
Verse 2:24. Let the truth abide in you . This is the truth we have been told since when the world was created and the truth we’ve learned since we became born again, our new beginnings. Abide means to dwell, remain, last. If we remain in, dwell in the truth we will also remain in and dwell in the Son and Father.

This abiding in must become a daily practice. Why? Because:
1. we forget.
2. our circumstances overwhelm us and we lose focus.
3. we are attacked by the enemy.

Verse 2:25. This is a great promise. Without God’s promise of eternal life, we all face eternal death i.e. separation from God for all eternity. Thank You Jesus for dying for me! Make it a practice to thank Him every day.
Verse 2:26. John didn’t want us to be deceived. Jesus did not want us to be deceived and says so in Matthew 24:4 as he begins teaching the disciples about the end of the age.
Verse 2:27. The key to discerning truth from error is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. The Gnostics believed there was a special revelation for the enlightened, an elite group. This is a lie. All believers have the Holy Spirit to teach them. The Bible is given to everyone to read and learn.
Are believers allowing the Holy Spirit to teach them? Are they listening for His still small voice? Are the Covid-19 church abstainers really listening for God’s direction on this and other issues? Just a question to ponder.
Verse 2:28. The word abide appears six times in verses 24-28. Abiding is essential to discerning truth from error; Abide in Him.

The Lord is coming back. Today, we are one day closer. Our confidence (trust) will be in Him when He appears. Our sins are forgiven; we have been made new creations in Christ so we will not be ashamed at His coming. He has done it all. What are we to do? Believe Him. Trust Him. Repent. Follow His leading; do the work He prepared for us to do. Remember it’s the narrow road. It’s difficult but the reward is great.

Discerning Truth from Error

A short study of 1 John 2:15-23

First John was written to warn us and to instruct us of false teachers. We are to discern truth from error.

1 John 2:15-16 The world spoken of here in verse 15 is a world that does not want to include God.To love this world is to be worldly. Loving the world means not having the Father’s love. Why? Because the focus is inward toward ourselves. We become selfish. What does the love of this world bring us? Temporal gains not doubt. But will we give up our souls for what is temporary? Will we enjoy the passing pleasures of sin and give up what God wants for our lives? What does love of the Father bring us? It brings Jesus, eternal life and knowledge of God. The Father knows our needs because He created us.When we go outside His will to meet these needs it becomes sin. This is where the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life come in.
Verse 2:17 This is the remedy for worldliness. Repent. Recognize this world and the things of it will pass away. Do God’s will.
Verse 2:18 The increase of false teachers is what describes the phrase “last hour.” It’s not a duration of time, It’s important to know what we believe and why we believe it. Discern the truth from error. How did John know Antichrist was coming? From Daniel 9:26. The “prince who is to come” is one title among over thirty given to the Antichrist.
Verse 2:19 There are two camps here: They (them) and us. The “they” camp, who are they? John tells us in chapters one ( verses 6, 8, 10)and two (verses 4, 9, 11). They left the church. The “us” camp. Who are the true members of the church? Those who have been cleansed of their sins by Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. In this COVID 19 environment, we seem to be in two camps: Those who have returned to church and fellowship and those who have not returned. I think those who have not returned can be broken into two camps too. The “They” camp and the “Us” camp. “Us camp” These people are genuinely born-again, but they are fearful, doubting, angry, etc. Some are weak in the faith or have not matured much. What is our response? First pray for them. Help them to grow in faith and trust in the Lord. Remember we were young in the faith. We have struggle areas too. Another group of genuine believers are those who are caring for high risk family members. They are concerned for their health and do not want to carry the virus to them. Our response? Pray for them. Encourage them. We say God is cleansing His church, separating the wheat from the chaff. I don’t think these people are chaff. They are brothers and sisters who need our prayers and encouragement.
“Them camp” These people attended church services before COVID 19. Their hearts were elsewhere when they attended. They know Scripture verses but they have not applied them for themselves. They may not be saved. Our response? Pray for them.They need Jesus too.
Verse 2:20-21 Who is the Holy One? It is God. When Isaiah beheld the Lord, the angels cried out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). To be holy is to be set apart. Anointing means to be set apart for a purpose or for a special reason (see 1 Samuel 16:13, John 9:6, ). God has anointed us 2 Corinth 1:21. We are given the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.
What does it mean that “you know all things?” We have been given God’s word. We have fellowship with the Father and Jesus His Son who know all things. We know the essential truth that Jesus became a man to die for the sins of mankind. Unbelievers know this truth but do not accept it.
Verse 2:22, 23 If a person denies Jesus he is a liar. The most important question in our lives is, “Who is Jesus to me?” Denying Jesus is to deny the Father.

What are the lessons today?
1. We are living in the last hour. We have been living in it since John’s day.
2. It is important to know the truth, believe it and apply it to our lives. Learn to discern truth from error.
3. There are true believers who have not returned to fellowship for a variety of reasons. They are not chaff and we shouldn’t treat them as unbelievers.
4. Pray for our church leaders, our brothers and sisters in Christ, for our government leaders, for discernment on how we should respond.
5. Remember Jesus is the central issue here and has always been central. They hated Him before they hated us. We represent the King of kings and the Lord of lords.