DRCM and NGMIF Bible study

It is highly significant that John, the apostle of love, who has just written that love is an essential mark of the true Christian (in verses 7-11), now calls these false teachers “antichrists” and “liars”! He doesn’t call them “brothers in Christ,” who just have different ways of understanding things. John makes it plain that they were trying to deceive the true Christians and that they were not Christian in any sense of the term. True biblical love is not divorced from an emphasis on biblical truth. To compromise the truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ is to be hateful to the core, because such error results in the eternal damnation of those who embrace it.

In these verses, 18-23, John applies his third test by which you may evaluate the soundness of a teacher, as well as your own life. He has already given us the moral test of obedience to God’s commandments (in verses 3-6). He has given the relational test of love (in verses 7-11). Now he gives the doctrinal test of truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ (in verses 18-27). John says,

To avoid spiritual deception, be discerning of people and doctrine.

The section (verses 18-27) falls into three parts. In verses 18-20, John shows that to avoid spiritual deception, you must develop discernment with regard to people. In verses 21-23, he shows that you must develop discernment with regard to doctrine, especially, the truth about Jesus Christ. In verses 24-27 (which we will study next week), he shows that the means of developing such discernment is to abide in the Word and in the Spirit.