“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23
Anyone who denies in any fashion Who Jesus is and What He has done to Redeem humanity is a”liar.” He who denies the Trinity is Antichrist. God the Father and God the Son are represented here, and it is the Holy Spirit Who inspires the Text. So we have here the Trinity. No matter the claims, if Jesus is denied, so is the Father: if the Son is accepted, the Father is as well, for the Son is the only way to the Father.
In today’s verse, the apostle John has harsh words for anyone who denies the Father and the Son, for anyone who rejects Jesus as the Christ. He declares that person antichrist – not the Antichrist, as the man who will rise up against God in Revelation – but one who exhibits a spirit that rejects God and His plan.
John goes on to say that the spirit of the Antichrist already abounds in the world around us (I John 4:2-3).
When the Bible instructs us to pray without ceasing, and we fly through our days without giving Him a thought, how deep is this relationship that we claim? When we stand against His instructions, when we deny what He requests, isn’t this, in essence, against Christ? When we know right, and we do not choose to do right, it is antichrist.
We can easily point an accusing finger at the spirit of Antichrist in the culture all around us, but every time we choose to fall back on comfort rather than take a stand for conviction, the antichrist attitude wins. Every time we excuse corruption rather than speak against it, every time we soften the message of the Gospel rather than proclaim it unashamedly, antichrist wins. When we hide His light, when we do not stand in the day of evil, when we are more concerned with public opinion than honoring God, we bow to the antichrist attitude.
If we are for Him, if we are on His side, let us cast off our lukewarm lives. Let us fully embrace all that He requires. Let us deny ourselves, choose to sacrifice our will for His, and embrace the responsibilities, as well as the rights, of a life hidden in Christ. We are for Him.
LET’S PRAY
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the subtle ways that I have allowed an antichrist attitude to grow in me. Expel that spirit from my thoughts – transform my mind. Expel it from my actions – conform me to Your will. O Lord, give me strength to stand against it and to always stand firmly in You and for You in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen Amen Amen! Fountain to your life.
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