Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 7; Luke 21; Habakkuk 2; 2 John
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
John was very concerned for the churches he was blessed to shepherd. He wrote this epistle to warn them of the deceivers called Gnostics who did not believe that God became a man in Jesus Christ. These Gnostics believed in a spiritual force and many times attributed that force to manifesting in many different gods. They taught a doctrine that had two parts. There was the exoteric that was taught to all their followers and the esoteric that was only revealed to a hand full of ‘initiates’. The Gnostics infiltrated many of the churches. There were different camps who taught two different things about Jesus. One camp taught that Jesus was just a man and that the spirit came upon him enabling him to do miracles. The other taught that Jesus was pure spirit and never had a physical body.
John is refuting this doctrine by saying it is a deceiver who does not teach that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. This time of year is when we focus on what theologians call the incarnation. That means that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that the baby who was born of the virgin Mary and laid in a manger was God in the flesh.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The Bible is very clear that it was God himself who became flesh.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.
This is a fundamental doctrine for faith in Jesus Christ. This is truth. A person who does not believe this does not believe the record that God has given us of his Son. If you don’t believe this, you are antichrist. This doctrine is just as important today as it was when John wrote to this church. We can rejoice that Jesus Christ became flesh and blood. He did it to save us and destroy the devil!
In Christ,
Rody
