This Article: (9 Pages)
- 1. John in the gospels
- 2. John's links to the Judean ruling... elite
- 3. The standard of learning in the... years C.E.
- 4. The beauty of John's letters
- 5. John, son of David and Aaron
- 6. John's letters
- 7. John's great issue – his... letters & The Great Lie
- 8. John himself
- 9. John's summary: The word made flesh
7) John's great issue – his letters & The Great Lie
At first glance John seems to be the Apostle of the doctrine of brotherly love. And Certainly John uses in his letters the word 'agapao' to love in a social sense 16 times and 'agapa' meaning affection or benevolence 19 times. Those who read the letters superficially with their own conceptions of what “love” means may miss what John's issues were.
If love is about sentimental affection and being nice to each other, John has a very disturbing message, if we read closely.
The first point to notice is that the book is not about love at all but is about the liar(s). A word search shows 'liar' appears 13 times in the whole scriptures, 7 times the word is used by John. The Greek word 'liar' is pseustos and means 'a falsifier'. The word 'lie' is used 24 times in the New Testament, of which 3 are in John's gospel and 3 in John's letters (accounting for fully one quarter of all references). John cares intensely about absolute truth.
The word 'truth' occurs 119 times in the New Testament, of which 27 occurrences are in John's gospel and 21 in John's letters (nearly one third of all occurrences). John's letters are about the importance of the truth.
The situation of increasing error is explained by Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. He makes no apologies and says there is a deceiver already at work in the Congregation.
For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is .. with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Thessalonians 2:7-12)
This deceiver would believe a lie. Peter sharply rebukes the people of the Congregation for doctrinal error,
And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; (2Peter 2:13)
But the most savage indictment of the congregation is that of Jude,
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:3-4)
But, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be deriders (empaiktēs, false teachers) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. (Jude 1:17-18)
What was going on? It seems there were a few issues. Paul early in ecclesiastical history deals with the doctrine of a literal resurrection in Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:17). Paul adds
For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (1Cor. 11:19)
Peter later targets one false doctrine that is related to that the idea of Jesus' coming
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days deriders (empaiktēs, false teachers), walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:1-4)
But the issue John names (and Jude alludes to) is far more serious, even more than the doctrine of a bodily resurrection and the second coming of Jesus. He called those who had the idea 'substitute christs' teaching a substitute idea, a lie, and it was to result in a strong division,
Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:18-19)
What was the idea these teachers had?
Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit/mind of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1John 4:1-3)
It is very simple and must not be seen as more complex. Every true teacher must confess that Jesus Anointed is come in the flesh, (Genesis 9:15, Job 34:15, Isaiah 40:6 'all flesh is grass' 1 Peter 1:24).
John made a powerful point that there are two classes those 'sons of God' and those 'sons of the slanderer' who hold the doctrine of the lie, who like Cain hated their brother who had the truth, and killed them. But those with the truth could be known for never hating their brother.
If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1John 4:20)
This was seen in church history. Christianity from the third and fourth century had a terrible history of bloodshed to rival paganism.
John is of such genius that he strips complexity to simplicity. He gets to the heart of error. John is showing that this issue of love is one way to see the true believer from the false-
but love is not tolerance, it is about revealing and discerning that false doctrine!
Those that have their own doctrine and not Yahweh's are defensive of their doctrine and will persecute those who disagree with them. The truth, as John points out, stands for itself – we do not have to fight for the acceptance of it. It is not negotiable, it is not a thing of opinion that can be argued about. It is a thing that exists of itself in the text to be sincerely enquired into by those that love Yahweh. Those that do not love Yahweh will never see the truth. This is John's point.
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There are many misconceptions of what Anti-Christ means due to mis-information, and sensationalism. It is not hard to confirm what the Bible actually says.
