“First John 2:25-29”

Monday, October 16, 2017

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

--- End of Scripture verses---

God has promised “eternal life” to those who stay faithful to His Son and true to the Truth (verse 25). On the flipside of this promise is the forfeiture of life everlasting if we fall from our own steadfastness (2 Peter 3:17), turn away from the Truth (James 5:19-20), and abandon the way of righteousness (2 Peter 2:20-22). Any child of God who would desert the Lord who called him for a distorted and perverted imitation of the Gospel has been led astray and seduced by deception and stands accursed of God (Galatians 1:6-9).

The inspired teaching of the Lord’s true Apostles was the “anointing” which these troubled brethren had “received” (verse 27). They had “no need for anyone to teach” them anything new because God’s revelation through His chosen ambassadors had taught them “about all things” necessary to make them pleasing to God, and critical for their spiritual wellbeing (2 Peter 1:3). The truth that John and his companions taught had not changed in the slightest then, and it has not been altered even a little bit over the course of the past 2000 years or so. As long as we abide in the truth and do not believe in lies, we abide in the Lord and His saving grace. If we remain faithful to Christ and the purity of His doctrine we can “have confidence” at “His coming” and not “shrink back” in shame and embarrassment (verse 29).

Friend, make no mistake about this one, absolute truth: “everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (verse 29). The Calvinistic precept of “the perseverance of the saints” is a total hoax and sham that millions upon millions have been deceived and seduced by. This false doctrine teaches that once a person is saved he will always stay saved no matter what he does or how he lives. In truth, it is obvious that this doctrine did not originate with John Calvin in the 15th century, but can be traced back to the first century purveyors of incipient Gnosticism. They taught that you could live like the devil and remain in good standing with the Creator.

While it is true that “there is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10), and God “credits” or “imputes” righteousness to born-again Christians through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 4:22), we are still required to live and pursue lives of righteousness in order be right with God. “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7).

Please read 1 John 3:1-3 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

-Louie Taylor

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