18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
John has just pointed out that the world is passing away along with its desires. Now he says that we are living in the last hour, the final period of time before Satan is overthrown. One of the climactic events of the end times is the rise of the Antichrist. John is now warning about those who come as a precursor with the characteristics of the Antichrist. These antichrists come to deceive believers and rob them of fellowship with God. John says that these antichrists had come from “us” but were not of “us.” John is referring to the apostles and probably the apostolic centre of Christianity, the church in Jerusalem. He is not saying that these false teachers arose out of the readers’ church because then “they went out from us” would mean they were no longer a problem. They were a problem because they might appear to have the authority of the apostles.
John reminds his readers that they have the anointing of the Holy Spirit and knowledge of the truth. They are spiritually mature and do not need teaching. It is possible that this letter was sent to the elders of the church but also that the entire church was spiritually mature. John isn’t writing to inform but to warn. They already know the truth. John isn’t writing to help them see if they are saved. That is the deception the false teachers are probably bringing, that salvation is not through Jesus Christ or not through Jesus Christ alone. They may have even come claiming some authority from the Father. But to deny the Son is to deny the Father and to confess and proclaim Jesus as the Christ is to confess the Father too (John 10:30; 14:9, 6). John reminds them of the promise made by Jesus—eternal life. Whatever teaching the false teachers brought, it denied the sufficiency of Christ and His promise of eternal life.
Even today there are many in the church who sow seeds of doubt about our salvation. They would have us look at our lifestyles and actions and use all manner of outward indicators to check whether we are saved or not. But John makes it clear that our salvation is based on our belief in the promise of eternal life from Jesus Christ alone. Any doubts we might have will be overcome by returning to the truth, that which we heard from the beginning, the gospel. Our salvation rests in a promise from the one who never lies and never changes (John 5:24; 10:28).
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Abraham and Isaac: Genesis 21-22
The problem we have when we become fruit inspectors when it comes to salvation is that no inspectors can agree on what fruit needs to be present. I’m so thankful that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and that my sanctification is a process.