Faithful Warnings

Thoughts on 1 John 2:15-27 where the Apostle gives us two very important warnings. The first is not to love this world or the things of this world.  The second is a clear warning about antichrists. It is vitally important that as Christians we heed these warnings.

Warning about the Love of the World

The world as it is used here is not the planet we call home. We are always to love and care for it as we were told in Genesis 1 and 2. The world John is referring to is a system of thought and life that excludes God from any meaningful role in our lives. We try to become gods creating a humanistic sense of what is morally right and wrong.

John defines the love of the world into three categories: 1) a love of physical pleasure, 2) a craving to own or possess everything we see, and 3) pride in our achievements and possessions.  God is not against pleasure or having nice things for Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17 that God richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  However, that same passage tells the rich in this world not to be proud of their wealth or trust in it.  Rich Christians are to trust in God and use their money to do good, and share with others in need, thus storing up treasures in heaven as a good foundation for the life they will experience after the resurrection.  All of us are called to be generous and share what we have, but Christians who are wealthy have a special opportunity and obligation to Jesus.  He said in Luke 12:48, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” – NLT.

As for the wealth of this world.  It will pass away.  The things we take so much pride in today will decay and become outdated or unusable.  For instance, when I was young, we wanted to have the latest vinyl record of our favorite singers.  Then came 8-track tape players for your car which was highly prized.  Now those things are 50 years out of date.  Years from now the latest technology will also be outdated.

Often people take pride in their buildings.  Yet we see how quickly such things can be destroyed by a tornado, hurricane, flood, storm, earthquake, fire, or war.  Jesus told us not to store up our treasures here on earth where moths and rust can destroy, and thieves can steal them from us.  He taught us to store our treasures in heaven where they are kept safe for us and last forever.

In 1929 when the Great Depression hit wealthy men lost entire fortunes.  Money was swept away as if it had never been there.  All of the wealth this world can provide is fragile and temporary.

We must also be careful not to allow the attitudes of the world into the church.  Some churches will take great pride in the wealth they can display in their sanctuary.  But a more common worldly attitude that can easily infect us as Christians is pride.  When someone has a “lust for power or position” in the church with a desire to be admired by others, that is pride.  Others take pride in their righteous behavior.  In opposition to a lust for power or position, we are to be servants of one another to help each other grow in the grace of God.  As for our righteous behavior, why does a person brag about behaving the way Christ taught us?  Pride in position, power, or righteousness can become major stumbling blocks for those seeking to come to know Jesus and those who are weak in the faith. 

Warning about Antichrists

Adam Clarke, a great commentator of the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries said about 1 John 1:18, “Any person, thing, doctrine, system of religion, polity, which is opposed to Christ and the spirit and spread of His gospel, is antichrist.” We have many religions and political systems that promote ideas and doctrines contrary to the gospel of Christ.  The Bible calls these “antichrists.”  The International Bible Commentary defines “Antichrist” as “one who assuming the guise of Christ opposes Christ…” This is different than false Christs who were people who pretended or falsely believed they were the Messiah.  (p. 1578, IBC).

The Apostle John identifies where these antichrists came from in v. 19 as people who were in the church but have left it. By their actions, they proved they were never really with us.  Leaving church can be physical or spiritual.  But the spiritual leaving is the most concerning and dangerous. 

Saint Paul admonished us in Romans 16:17-18, “And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. ¹⁸ Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.” – NLT.Jesus said He would cause division in this world, even within families in Luke 12:49-53. The cause of much of this division is people who appear to be Christ-like but are in reality working in opposition to Christ.

The Spirit of God within us provides us with some protection against “antichrist” people and false prophets or “false Christs.” Remember the difference: an antichrist appears to be Christian, but they actually work against Christ and His Kingdom.  They often twist or deny the clear teaching of Scripture.  A false Christ is usually a delusional person who thinks they are the Christ.  A false prophet preaches a different Gospel whether or not they identify as a Christian. God’s Spirit will often raise “red flags” in our hearts and minds about such people.  The Holy Spirit teaches us and points out the errors these people are trying to promote.  John says we know the truth because of the Holy Spirit in our lives in vv. 20-21. In v. 27, he says the Holy Spirit teaches us and gives us everything we need to know.  So, we can know the difference between the truth and a lie.

Protect What You Have

John writes in v. 24, So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. – NLT.  The “if” in this passage is a conditional word.  Our salvation is conditional upon remaining in the faith we were once taught.  John continues saying in v. 26, I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.  -NLT.  There are multiple forces in this world and they even arise within the church that try to lead us astray from the truth of Christ as it was delivered to the Apostles.  God wants us to keep our salvation because it gives Him great joy to give us the Kingdom and bless us as His children.

Conclusion

 Again, John is writing to us because we are Christians.  He makes that assumption about us.  He warns us against falling in love with the things of this world and its attitudes.  He also warns us against those who try to lead us astray.  He reminds us that we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and protect us from the lies of deceivers and imposters.

Are you watching to see that you are not led astray?  Are you listening to the warnings given to you by God’s Spirit?  Often He speaks directly to us and often He speaks through others to us.  Are you watching over what you believe to ensure it aligns with what the early Apostles taught?  If you do these things you will be blessed and keep your faith securely anchored in Christ.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.