If you listen or watch what is claimed to be Christian TV or radio, some of the (false) teachers openly espouse gross Christological heresies. You can see bizarre blasphemies like the teaching of Creflo Dollar that Jesus did not come to earth as God in human flesh (Creflo Dollar, “Jesus’ Growth into Sonship,” audio, December 8, 2002)., others, like Kenneth Copeland: deny Jesus ever claimed to be God, (Kenneth Copeland, cited in Jones and Woodbridge, Health, Wealth, & Happiness, 70).) or others like Benny Hinn assert Christ took on Satan’s sinful nature on the cross, ((Kenneth Copeland, “What Happened from the Cross to the Throne,” 1990, audiotape #02-0017, side 2).) Perhaps you heard Kenneth Hagin claiming Christ died spiritually in hell after He died physically on the cross. (cited in Jones and Woodbridge, Health, Wealth, & Happiness, 70). ) Finally, you may have heard the twisted words of Kenneth Copeland where he paraphrased Jesus’ as saying: “Don’t be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God. . . . They crucified Me for claiming I was God. I didn’t claim that I was God; I just claimed that I walked with Him and that He was in Me (Kenneth Copeland, “Take Time to Pray,” Believer’s Voice of Victory 15, no. 2 (February 1987): 9.)To any true believer, the rank arrogance and gross falsehood inherent in such statements sends shivers down the spine. Only the spirit of antichrist would inspire that kind of blatantly unbiblical teaching. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2013). Strange fire: the danger of offending the holy spirit with counterfeit worship. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Though the term antichrist occurs only in John’s letters, the concept it expresses appears repeatedly throughout Scripture (cf. Dan. 7:7f.; 9:26–27; 11:36–39; Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:6; 2 Thess. 2:3, 8; Rev. 11:7; 13:1–10, 18; 17:1–18). It is a compound word that transliterates the Greek word antichristos, from christos (“Christ”) and anti (“against,” or “in the place of”). The term denotes anyone who opposes Christ, seeks to supplant Him (Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:21–22), or falsely represents Him. Such opposition always offers distorted and aberrant views about the nature of Christ (cf. 2 John 7); Through the centuries, there has been much study and speculation, by both scholars and lay persons, concerning who this final Antichrist will be. People have proposed numerous historical figures, including Nero and other Roman emperors, Muhammad, various popes, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler. Such ill-advised speculation has always proved futile. When the apostle John wrote 1 John, he said many antichrists had already arisen in the brief sixty years since Pentecost, and countless more have plagued the church until now.
Herein lies our dilemma. There is so much false teaching about, if we are not careful we can assimilate error. Likewise, unless we check what we hear, and read against scripture, we can internalize error that can confuse us, worry us or cause us to act in a destructive manner. Such action is dangerous to us, potentially destructive to others, misrepresenting and dishonoring God. We need clear tests in order to check what we think and hear.
In 1 John 2:18-27, John reiterates his earlier doctrinal tests (the proper assessment of people’s sinfulness and the correct evaluation of Christ’s nature as the God-man) and moral tests (love for Christ and others, and obedience to the Word). The purpose of these tests, as stated by John in 5:13, was to help his readers assess their true standing before God—whether or not they were saved. The apostle understood that a wrong view of Christ, if not repented of and corrected, would lead to eternal damnation (cf. John 8:24). Such terrifying consequences make the issue black and white, which is why John presented it with such directness: 1) false professors of the faith deny the truth about Christ, revealing themselves to be antichrists (1 John 2:18–19, 22–23, 26); 2) true professors, on the other hand, affirm—along with the other marks—the truth about Christ, revealing themselves to be genuine children of God (1 John 2:20–21, 24–25, 27).
1) The Characteristics of Antichrists (1 John 2:18–19, 22–23, 26)
1 John 2:18–19, 22–23, 26
The combination of deceptive hypocrisy and demonic heresies made the antichrist teachers doubly dangerous as they intentionally tried to creep into the church unnoticed, before hatching their destructive schemes (cf. Jude 4). In order to warn his readers, John began this section with a brief introduction of the antichrists followed by a description of their characteristics.
a) The Introduction of Antichrists (1 John 2:18)
1 John 2:18 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. (ESV)
John addressed his readers again as children (paidia; cf. 2:13), identifying them as those who belonged to the family of God, and those whom their Father desired to warn that there was impending danger. It is essential that Christians, especially those who are less spiritually mature and hence most vulnerable, understand the serious threat that antichrists pose. Therefore, these little children here indicate the first degree of spiritual experience which we have seen in verses 12–14: the fathers at the top, then the young men, and then the little babies. The little babies haven’t grown up yet. They are passing through this world, and the chances are that they have been tripped up by one of these three things which John has just mentioned (McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (1 John) (electronic ed., Vol. 56, p. 61). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Further underscoring the urgency of the subject, John reminded his readers that it is the last hour. The phrase literally reads, “last hour it is,” the word order making it an emphatic expression. The term hour cannot be taken literally. The last hour refers to the present evil age, one of only two ages—along with the age to come—that the New Testament outlines (cf. Matt. 12:32; Mark 10:30; Eph. 1:21; Heb. 6:5). The last hour began at the first coming of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 1:1–2; 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20), and will end when He returns. (The age to come encompasses all of the future [Isa. 9:6–7; 11:2, 6–9; 30:23–26; 35:2–6; 45:22–24; 65:18–23; 66:13; Ezek. 34:25; 47:12; Joel 2:28–32; Amos 9:13; Zech. 14:16–21; 1 Cor. 15:24–28; Rev. 20:4; cf. 2 Sam. 7:16; Matt. 19:28; Rev. 3:21; 5:10].) Even though the phrase the last hour appears only here in the entire New Testament, it seems to be equivalent to the expressions the last days or these last times (cf., Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:20). (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of James and the Epistles of John (Vol. 14, p. 274). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
This verse is the first New Testament use of the term antichrist, yet it is certainly not the first biblical introduction to the concept. As John himself pointed out, his readers had already heard that antichrist is coming. Here the PRESENT is used to express the certainty of a future event (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 208). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.).
Since they knew about the coming of the Christ from the Old Testament prophecies, some may have known about antichrist from the same sources. The final Antichrist will be an imposing, intimidating figure of superior intellect and oratorical skills, possessing advanced military and economic expertise, who becomes the leader of the world. He will be so convincing as an ally and deliverer that Israel will sign a pact with him to be her protector. Then he will turn against the nation (cf. Rev. 6:2; 13, 16:13; 17, 19:20.) Those passages use prophetic language, that is, they are symbolic, they do not specifically name or identify any particular people or movements, and they are couched in deliberately general language. The holy writers are more interested in alerting believers to false teachings than in naming specific false teachers. It is up to the readers to apply these truths. The writers use picture language, which is less precise, of course, but more vivid and memorable. Prophetic language often telescopes—that is, it can have multiple fulfillments (Jeske, M. A. (2002). James, Peter, John, Jude (pp. 224–225). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.).
Please turn to Matthew 24 (p.829)
John’s readers surely would have known about Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, in which He made reference to the same Antichrist-related events as those already prophesied in the Old Testament:
Matthew 24:15–25 15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand (ESV)
• Here Jesus clarifies that the complete fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy will be found in (1) the Roman destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and (2) the image of the Antichrist being set up in the last days (cf. 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:14). Supernatural signs and miracles will have the appearance of coming from God but that will actually be the work of Satan and his evil forces. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1873). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Christ’s arrival aroused Satan’s opposition to an intensity not seen before or since, resulting in the rise of many antichrists. After three years of relentless hostility toward Him (cf. Acts 4:26–28), His enemies finally had Him nailed to the cross. That same malignant antichrist spirit has continued to flourish to this day (1 John 4:3). John asserts that in his time “there are many antichrists.” This is a PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE. The “anti”-Christ spirit is already present and active in this fallen world, yet there is still a future manifestation (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 208). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.).
b) The Characteristics of Antichrists (1 John 2:19, 22–23, 26)
1 John 2:19, 22–23, 26 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. (ESV)
Antichrists who infiltrate the church and mingle among true believers, attempting to destroy by spreading lies and deceptions, are clearly identifiable by three primary characteristics. First, they depart from the fellowship. They enter the church only to sabotage it through an often-sophisticated strategy of false teaching and lies. But eventually most depart, separating from true Christians, leaving a path of spiritual destruction in their wake, and inevitably taking some of the weak with them. Some who remain are confused and left wondering if the false teachers and their “converts” took the real truth with them when they left. They might also find themselves asking why their professed brethren, if they had really been part of the true church, had so readily followed the antichrists. Such questions were apparently being asked by John’s readers. And the apostle addressed all those doubts with the simple statement, They went out from us, but they were not of us. Expulsion from the Christian community for misdeeds is a serious act, and hopefully it lasts only so long as to allow for repentance and restoration (cf. 1 Cor 5:2–5; 2 Cor 2:5–11). The case at hand is unique; apparently the going out was neither expulsion nor excommunication but the voluntary departure of those involved (Barker, G. W. (1981). 1 John. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, p. 324). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).
If those teachers and their adherents had possessed the true eternal life, John elaborated, they would have continued/remained with us. John has put forward the test of obedience and the test of love, and now he adds the test of perseverance. (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 116). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
God allowed—and still allows—liars, deceivers, and false teachers to come into the assembly of believers to purge it, so that it would become plain/be shown that they all are not of the fellowship. Those who defect give clear evidence of their true character and unregenerate condition. Thus, in His perfect plan, God uses false teachers to draw away false believers from the church, so they will not remain in the assembly as harmful and corrupting influences (cf. 1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9). He permits antichrists to do their sinister work in His own church for the ultimate good of His body (cf. Gen. 50:20). For example, He allowed a messenger from Satan to fracture the Corinthian church in order to wound the apostle Paul and produce in him greater humility, trust, and strength (2 Cor. 12:7–10). Of course, false teachers are fully responsible for their heinous actions, earning for themselves the severest eternal judgment (cf. Jude 13; 2 Peter 2:12). Nevertheless, in spite of their hatred for God, they serve His end to purify His people. Satan and all his demons, in the final analysis, serve the sovereign purposes of God.
The second clearly recognizable characteristic of antichrists as explained in verse 22, is that they deny the faith. Specifically in this context they fail John’s Christological test. The spirit of antichrist is that of the liar … who denies that Jesus is the Christ. A right view of Jesus Christ—His person, work, and saving message—is an essential mark of genuine saving faith; no one can be saved who rejects the biblical revelation about Christ (John 8:24; cf. 1:12–13; 3:18, 36; Acts 4:12; Rom. 10:9–10; 1 Cor. 15:1–4). Nor is there hope for one who relies on some personal, speculative notion of who He is (cf. Matt. 16:13–14). Genuine salvation requires embracing Him as the anointed Messiah of God (John 1:43–49), affirming that He is the one and only God-man (1 Tim. 2:5; Titus 2:13), and obeying His gospel teachings (Mark 1:15; John 3:36; 15:10). To separate Christ the Savior from Jesus the man was a hallmark of Docetism, the heresy that said Christ only appeared to be a human being and never actually took on our flesh (Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (pp. 2270–2271). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.)
John is not addressing a person who occasionally misrepresents the truth, but one who strikes at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In John’s view a ‘liar’ is one who is habitually deviating from God’s truth and acting hypocritically (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of James and the Epistles of John (Vol. 14, p. 281). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
As elsewhere in this letter and in his gospel (1:3; 4:2–3, 9–10; cf. John 1:1, 14; 5:23; 10:30; 12:45; 14:7–10), John stresses the inseparable divine equality of the Father and the Son, noting that an antichrist is one who denies them both. He further emphasizes this point by asserting as he does in verse 23, that whoever denies the Son does not have the Father (cf. 4:2–3). Despite their claims to the contrary, those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ do not truly know God (cf. Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:16; John 5:23; 15:23–24; 2 John 9). Any denial, deviation, or distortion of the scriptural view of Jesus Christ—His incarnation (Matt. 1:18–25; John 1:14); that He is both Son of God (Mark 1:1) and Son of Man (John 9:35–37), the promised Prophet (Deut. 18:15, 18), Priest (Heb. 4:14–5:10), King (Isa. 9:7; John 12:12–15), and Redeemer (1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 3:13; 4:4–5; cf. Isa. 59:20)—constitutes the spirit of antichrist. You cannot have the Father without believing in the Son. Christ himself said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me’ (Jn. 14:6). (Jackman, D. (1988). The message of John’s letters: living in the love of God (p. 70). Leicester, England; Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Third, antichrists by nature try to confuse the faithful. John warned his readers in verse 26, that he wrote these things to them about/concerning those who are trying to deceive them. False teachers persist in trying to mislead the saints, but ultimately they cannot cause true believers to abandon the faith. Regarding their futile efforts, Jesus said as we have already seen: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24; cf. John 10:4–5). They can muddle the simplicity of believers’ devotion to Christ (cf. Gal. 1:6–9; Col. 2:4–5, 16–19), tamper with their spiritual confidence (cf. 1 Tim. 6:3–5a), cause them to doubt the sufficiency of the Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17; cf. Col. 2:20–23) and be confused or uncertain about key doctrines (Gal. 3:1), but they cannot take away the faith that secures them to Christ or the eternal life that belongs to those who are truly elect and regenerate (John 10:27–29).
Illustration: Have you noticed that virtually every cult today was founded by someone who came out of the church? They became disgruntled with a church or denomination. They left the church to form what they called “the true church.” There have always been those throughout church history who claimed that everybody else before them got it wrong, but then suddenly God spoke the truth to them personally. In 1978, Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple were in the news. Jim Jones started out in an evangelical church (the Disciples of Christ. The very denomination Everton Community Church used to belong to). Jim Jones persuaded some 800 people to move with him to Guyana to establish what he called a church. In the end 800 people plus their children died, committing suicide under his leadership. He was a false prophet. For a while he was a part of the church, but he departed from the faith, and as John says, he went out from the church. His exit and subsequent false teaching made it clear he was never genuinely a part of the church in the first place.( Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (pp. 111–112). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.)
2) The Characteristics of Christians (1 John 2:20–21, 24–25, 27)
1 John 2:20–21, 24–25, 27
Opposite antichrists are true Christians who are people committed to the truth. The apostle’s portrait of Christians as ones who walk in the truth (cf. 2 Cor. 4:2; Eph. 6:14; 1 Thess. 2:13) is in sharp distinction to the antichrists who propagate spiritual lies. In the end, there are two obvious reasons that believers are not led astray: a) they accept the faith, and b) they remain faithful to it.
a) Christians Accept the Faith (1 John 2:20–21, 27)
1 John 2:20–21, 27 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. 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)
The false teachers who threatened John’s readers employed the terms for knowledge and anointing to describe their religious experience. They arrogantly saw themselves as possessing an elevated and esoteric form of divine knowledge, and as the recipients of a special, secret, transcendent anointing. That led them to believe they were privy to truth that the uninitiated lacked. John’s response, which was both a rebuttal to the antichrists and a reassurance to the believers, was to assert that, in reality, all true Christians have been anointed by/from the Holy One. Because believers have received that anointing, they have the true understanding of God that comes exclusively through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6), “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). They do not need any secret, special, or transcendent understanding or esoteric insight. Anointing (chrisma) literally means “ointment” or “oil” (cf. Heb. 1:9). In this text it refers figuratively to the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Cor. 1:21–22), who has taken up residency in believers at the order of Jesus Christ, the Holy One (cf. Luke 4:34; Acts 3:14), and reveals through Scripture all they need to know (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:9–10). In these verses John touches on one aspect of that which became known at the time of the Reformation as the priesthood of all believers or, from the other side, the perspicuity of the Word. It is the truth that the believer in Christ is not dependent on a higher order of churchman, whether priest or Gnostic, to interpret the Word of God for him. Rather, through the indwelling Spirit he has the means of understanding the Word for himself and of using what he finds there to combat heresy (Boice, J. M. (2004). The Epistles of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 73–74). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 2 (p.953)
In verse 21, John reiterates that believers have true knowledge of God by saying he wrote to them not because they did not know the truth, but because they did know it. He then closes the verse with the axiomatic statement that no lie is of the truth—something cannot be simultaneously true and false. Because Christians are taught by the Spirit to know the truth, they can recognize doctrinal error for what it really is (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10–16). The apostle wrote as he did because his readers already knew the gospel and its attendant truths and would understand his appeal to the exclusivity of biblical truth. (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 2 Cor. 6:14–18; Gal. 1:6–9; 2 John 9–11.) John’s black and white contrasts are healthily clearsighted. Opposing views are not to him ‘complementary insights’ but ‘truth and error’ (Stott, J. R. W. (1988). The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 19, p. 115). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
Paul explained this to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 2:10–16 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)
• Only the Spirit can render the message of the cross truly comprehensible to someone, so every Christian is a “spiritual” person (led and empowered by the Holy Spirit) (cf. Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 3:6, 8, 16–18; Eph. 1:13). Unbelievers, on the other hand, do not have the spiritual capacity to understand the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14) (The Holy Spirit must enable them to understand). (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2194). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Verse 27 reiterates the truth that the anointing [Spirit-given knowledge of the truth] which John’s readers received from Him abides in them. They possessed the truth; it resided in them permanently (John 14:16–17; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13); they had no need that anyone should teach them. And because God’s truth is all-sufficient (Ps. 19:7–14; 2 Tim. 3:16–17) and incompatible with error, His anointing teaches … about everything/all things, and is true and is no lie. When the apostle asserted that believers do not need other teachers, he was not advocating a mystical anti-intellectualism that spurns all human teachers. On the contrary, the Lord has given the church godly pastors, elders, and teachers “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12; cf. v. 11; 1 Cor. 12:28). John’s point is that believers must not rely on human wisdom or man-centered philosophy (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18–2:9; Col. 2:8) but on the teaching of God’s Word by Spirit-gifted human teachers and the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. They did not need anyone to teach them again the essentials of the faith that the false teachers were denying. They already had the truth (the anointing) and did not need anyone else (Gnostics, who claimed special inner knowledge) to tell them what was true. (Walls, D., & Anders, M. (1999). I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude (Vol. 11, p. 179). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
b) Christians Remain Faithful (1 John 2:24–25)
1 John 2:24–25 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. (ESV)
Although John knew that the true sheep could never lose their salvation (John 10:27–29; cf. 1 Peter 1:5), he exhorted his audience to persevere, to let what [truth] they heard from the beginning abide in them. Believers are commanded to actively persevere in the truth because it is the gracious means by which they are sanctified (John 8:31; 1 Cor. 15:1–2; Phil. 2:12–13; Col. 1:22–23; 2 Tim. 3:14). The word twice rendered abide and once abides is from menō, which refers to a continual action of remaining (cf. its use in John 6:56; 8:31; 14:17; 15:4, 9–10; 1 Cor. 13:13; 2 Tim. 3:14). Those who continue in what they have heard show that what they have heard from the beginning abides in them, and they also will abide in the Son and in the Father (1 John 3:17; 4:13). The Word is not the goal of the fellowship but rather a means through which the fellowship with the Son and the Father occurs. The listing of the Son before the Father may emphasize the fact that access to the Father becomes possible only through the Son (John 10:10; 17:2; 20:31). This is why denial of the Son has such fearful consequences. (Barker, G. W. (1981). 1 John. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, p. 326). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. )
The ultimate prize for those who remain faithful is identified in verse 25 as eternal life. Concerning Himself, the true Bread of Life, and those who are spiritually united to Him. . The reference to eternal life is both that of the future promise of eternal life with the Father and the Son and the present experience of abiding in God the Father and in Jesus Christ (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 124). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
The contrast between antichrists and Christians is absolutely clear. Antichrists deny the faith, depart from the faith, and seek to deceive the faithful. Christians, on the other hand, affirm the faith and remain faithful to the end—they cannot be permanently deceived. All Christians can have lasting comfort in the truth of those words.
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (2007). 1, 2, 3 John (pp. 94–104). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers)
