Thursday, November 5, 2026

             1 and 2 John are two letters near the end of the New Testament.  We believe these letters were written by John—a disciple of Jesus.  We also believe John wrote 3 John, Revelation and the Gospel that bears his name.  1 and 2 John emphasize the important biblical truth that Jesus came in the flesh.  He was incarnated into the creation.  The eternal Son of God took on human form and was born into the world.  In John’s day, some opponents diminished or even denied the truth that Jesus came in the flesh.  They saw Jesus as exclusively divine and spirit.  A balanced biblical view of the person of Jesus teaches that Jesus was/is both God and man—fully God and fully man. Not more of one and less of the other.  We are not to lose sight of His humanity or deity.  The humanity of Jesus is important.  He lived the perfect life that we cannot live and that life is credited to us.  He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins at the cross because He was the lamb without stain or blemish from sin. If Jesus had not come in the flesh, we would be hopelessly lost in sin with no Savior.
            John gave counsel in his day on how to deal with opponents and false teachers who dismissed Jesus’ humanity.  John wrote, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [that Jesus came in the flesh], do not take them into your house or welcome them.  Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work” (2 John 10-11).  John issued a warning not to be deceived by false teachers and false teachings.  He went so far as to say do not even entertain such things in your home.  Draw a line at the door and do not permit false teachings that conflict with Scripture to have an entry point into your home or life. That counsel works today.  The enemy would love nothing more than to deceive people with a nugget of truth encased in a lot of error or deception.  He can bait a line better than an ace fisherman.  Be on guard, John says, that you do not entertain such things.
            Today’s false teachers often diminish the truth of salvation by grace through faith.  Such teachers would emphasize salvation by works or accomplishments or a steady diet of self-improvement (perhaps reinforced by products they would be glad to sell to you).  We can easily find false teachers today who would like to remake Jesus in their own image—a Jesus who speaks, acts, thinks and behaves as they do.  This remade Jesus just acts on cue.  Some bad teachings today offer books that they place on par with Scripture.  A popular but misguided teaching today concerns the end times or the end of the world.  Be wary of people who think they know the day, time and manner in which Christ will return. Setting days and times for Jesus’ return is a fool’s errand. Stay faithful in serving and living for Jesus and you will always be prepared for His return.  Be careful about a steady diet of online videos, teachings and teachers.  Such things could be dangerous to your life and faith.
            John would likely counsel us today to stay true to the important Christian
disciplines that have stood the test of time.  Read the Bible, pray, worship with other believers, study God’s Word together, fellowship and connect with other Christians.  Satan rarely needs any help to tempt or torment us with sinful ideas or ways.  We do not have to go looking for such things and there is no reason to welcome such things into our homes and lives.  If we give an audience to false teachings, we share in their promotion and marketing.  Psalm 119:105 reminds us, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” If given a choice to trust the words of men and women or the Word of God, we turn to God every time.  And God has given us His Holy Spirit to help us read and understand His Word with clarity.  We are blessed by the opportunity to study God’s Word with other believers who can help us to see how this Word applies to our lives today as we seek to live for Him.
            You may recall in the book of Acts that some believers called the Bereans carefully searched the Scriptures to confirm anything they were taught (see Acts 17:10-15).  They “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”  These Bereans may have been among the first fact-checkers in history.  But God’s Word is the standard by which we assess the things we read or hear from others.  This yardstick of God’s Word helps us to know what is good and right and what is misleading and wrong.  We can give thanks today that God has shepherded His Word across the centuries so that we will know His heart, way and will.  Guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Put on the armor of God and be aware of the enemy’s attempts to deceive or trick you.  Have a great Thursday!