Monday, July 14, 2008 - The Spirit of the Antichrist - 1 John 4:1-3
When the word "antichrist" is used, the reference is usually to the Antichrist, who will spread rebellion across the earth. But, two additional meanings are found in 1 John 4.
First, the expression alludes to a spirit or attitude opposed to Jesus. Second, it describes men and woman who embody that spirit by contradicting scriptural truth.
An anti-Christ mindset is active in our culture. Newspapers, movies, and books dispute the Lord's deity. They then cast doubt on the truth of His death and resurrection. Instead of embracing Jesus as God's Son and Savior of the world, antichrists seek to recast Him as a wise teacher or good man with high ideals.
Such denials of Christ are not logical. In John 14:6, the Lord said of Himself, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." If Jesus is something other than what He claimed, He must be either a fraud or a lunatic. In which case, the antichrists would be holding up a most undesirable person as a "wise teacher."
Denying Christ's deity is also spiritually unsound. If Jesus were not the Son of God, then His death would have been permanent. Without His resurrection, there could be no such thing as salvation by faith.
Some antichrists, while denying Jesus, nevertheless claim to believe in God and heaven. Yet Matthew 10:33 states their denial will keep them from eternity with the Father.
The Bible insists Jesus is God's Son. He died for our sins and rose again. To combat the spirit of antichrist, we must read Scripture and believe it.
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