God' children

1 John 2:18 forms a chiasm (a writing style that uses a unique repetition pattern for clarification and emphasis) contrasting the antichrist from the spirt of antichrist:

• A. the last hour (1 John 2:18)
  • B. that antichrist (1 John 2:18)

  • 'B. many antichrists (1 John 2:18)

• 'A. the last hour (1 John 2:18)

"The last hour" is closely associated with the concept of last days, which the New Testament uses to describe the entire period extending from Christ's first coming to his return (Mic 4:1; Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:20). See "The Plan of the Ages: Are We in the Last Days?" below.

John distinguishes "antichrist" (a single man) from "antichrists" (those who support the antichrist's cause). See "Anti-Christ a Human?" below. Many interpreters associate the antichrist with "the man of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:3) and "the beast" (Rev. 13:2), but these identifications are difficult to establish with certainty. But here, the false teachers and apostates to whom John refers were antichrists in the sense that the demonic spirit of antichrist was already at work in them because of their opposition to the Christian faith (1 John 4:3). See "Anti-Christ a Human?," "The Full Humanity of Jesus: What Kind of Man Was Jesus?," and "Jesus Christ, God and Man: How Can a Man Be God?" below.

The last hour is only found here in the NT, but it marks the same period as last days or last times. This is the time between Jesus' first coming and his second coming (see notes on Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:20). It can also refer to the very last part of that period, right before Christ returns (see notes on 2 Tim. 3:1; Jas. 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 18). John makes a distinction between the antichrist, who many associate with the man of lawlessness or the beast (see notes on 2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 13:2), and antichrists, who share his opposition to Christ and his people .

1 John 2:19 explains how some who profess faith in Christ turn away from that profession and prove that they never had saving faith. Participation in the visible Church does not guarantee salvation (WLC 61). See "The Church: Visible and Invisible: Is Everyone in the Church Saved?" below. As Calvin explains:

By saying They went out from us, he means that they had previously occupied a place in the church and were counted among the number of the godly. However, he denies that they were of them, though they had assumed the name of believers, just as chaff is mixed with wheat on the same floor but cannot be regarded as wheat.

John plainly declares that those who fall away had never been members of the invisible Church in the first place. Inward apathy or hostility to the Gospel may be masked by outward conformity. Apostates reveal such inward hostility through their departure. Their going out to oppose the word of the Gospel was, like Judas' going out from the Last Supper (John 13:30), a renunciation of the Church and its message of salvation. See WCF 3.6; 17.2; BC 7.

they went out from us… remained. See WCF 3.6; 17.2; WLC 61; BC 7. Having described the mark of obedience in 2:1-11, John describes the necessity of perseverance. Though once members of the community, they departed in order to oppose its teachings about the identity of Jesus. According to John, this demonstrated that they were not true members of the community. John goes on to explain how they denied that Jesus is the Christ (v. 22) and tried to lead others astray (v. 26).

John encourages his readers. In contrast to the spirit of antichrist that is prevalent in those that go out from them (1 John 2:19), believers have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and have had their hearts and minds opened to know the saving truth (1 John 2:27). See "The Holy Spirit: Do All Believers Have the Holy Spirit?" below. As Akin states:

Truth and error are incompatible. Indeed lies have their source in what is false, not in what is true. In this verse the truth is equivalent with the Christian gospel that has both theological content and ethical character. The truth and the lie (error) are mutually exclusive. They have no part with one another. John is no theological relativist in spiritual matters. As Smalley asserts: "The knowledge which John's orthodox readers possess, but which the secessionists (docetic or otherwise) lack, is the truth about the identity of Jesus: that he is the Christ, and that he is by nature one with man and one with God (cf. John 8:45; 14:6). This knowledge, moreover, is not simply intellectual; it is also part of a relationship between man and God through Christ." The knowledge that the secessionists have does not make the believers ignorant; it makes the secessionists liars, confirming the assertion of 1 John 2:19 that they were never truly a part of the believing community.

The New Testament reveals that Christ was anointed by God directly with the Holy Spirit to be the consummate prophet, priest, and king (Acts 10:38; Heb 1:1-9). In a secondary manner, believers also have prophetic, priestly and kingly responsibilities and are anointed with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21-22) for this work. See WCF 1.5; WLC 4.

an anointing from the Holy One. See WCF 1.5; WLC 4. The Father anointed the Son with the Holy Spirit at his baptism as the ultimate prophet like Moses, priest like Melchizadek, and king in David's line (see notes on Matt 3:16-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:32-34; Acts 10:38; Heb. 1:1-9). But, Christ also pours out his Spirit on his followers, giving them the task to imitate and represent him and to disciple the nations (see notes on Acts 1:8, 2:14-21). In this letter John describes these tasks as discernment and persevering witness (2:27-28). In his gospel, John describes the Spirit's work as convicting the world of its guilt with regard to sin and righteousness (see notes John 16:8-11). Those reading John's letter can be assured that their confession of Christ as the Just One, who died for sins is true and powerful.

Liars exist! In this context, the false teaching appears to have been the denial that Jesus (the man) is the Christ (the Savior). The antichrist denies the full humanity of Christ. It was a hallmark of docetism to separate Christ the Savior from Jesus the man. See "The Full Humanity of Jesus: What Kind of Man Was Jesus?" and "Jesus Christ, God and Man: How Can a Man Be God?" below. As Kistemaker delineates:

What is the believer's confession of faith? Simply this: "Jesus is the Son of God." In his epistle John emphasizes that through the blood of Jesus, the Son, we are purified from sin (1 John 1:7); the Son promises us eternal life (1 John 2:25); the Son of God has appeared to destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8); and the Son is the "atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10). The believer has fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3) and openly confesses the name of Jesus before the people.

Thus, a denial of Christ is the very denial of his work, his blood, his atonement, his eternal life, and a denial of any true relationship with God, therefore revealing they have not been born again by the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:3; John 3).

There are numerous denominations with antichrist doctrines, including, but not limited to Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Islam (see below). To quote Martin Luther, "Those who teach new doctrine rarely return" (Luther, LW, 30:260). Stott adds:

1 John 2:24 in Greek begins with the word "you" in an emphatic position, to contrast with the liars of 1 John 2:22-23 who deny that Jesus is the Christ. The difference has already been made by the grace of God, in bringing us out of darkness into his light through the new birth. We do not have to create it, but to enjoy and preserve it. Six times in these six verses John uses the same verb [remain], usually translated remain or continue, or in some versions abide. It comes three times here in 1 John 2:24. John loves this verb, which means 'to take up a permanent address', or 'to make a settled home'. If we want to keep going and keep growing as Christians then the objective truth of God in Christ and in his written Word has to be allowed to settle in our minds and hearts as its permanent home.

It is not so much that we need to be learning new truth. Novelty in itself can be a great snare. Rather, we need to be learning more deeply and practising more fully the great truths we have been aware of from the start of our Christian experience (the beginning). Many of us modern Christians spend comparatively little time allowing the majestic truths of our faith to settle deeply into our consciousness. We spend a lot of time talking about our experience of living the Christian life, but not so much dwelling on the character of God, the person of Christ, his atoning death, his resurrection life, the person and activity of the Holy Spirit, and then our universal human sinfulness, the grace of God in salvation, the process of becoming like Jesus (sanctification) and the hope of glory. These truths exist as living realities, independent of us, but they need to be permanently living in our minds and wills. As with children, we shall need to be fed milk before we can progress to solids, but it is only by feeding on God's truth that we can grow as Christians at all.

denies… Christ. In his gospel, John wrote to show that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God (see notes on John 20:31), because this claim was dividing the synagogue (see notes on John 9:22). In the wake of this division, some who were influenced by Greek dualism wanted to claim that Christ only seemed (dokeo¯) to be human. As God, he could not have assumed flesh and died an atoning death (see notes on 4:2-3, 15; 5:1, 6-8). Those who departed from John"s church embraced this early form of the Docetic heresy, denying the gospel

the Father. See notes on Jn. 5:23; 14:6-7; 15:23

what you heard from the beginning. John uses this phrase several times (1:1; 2:7, 13, 14; 3:8, 11, 2 Jn. 5-6) to describe his teaching, which gives eyewitness testimony to Jesus' historical ministry (see notes 1:1-3), a teaching that has formed and nourished their fellowship over the years

Eternal life (John 3:15-16; 5:24; 8:51; 1 John 1:2; 5:11, 13) from the Eternal One is the supreme gift of God in Jesus Christ, given to us as a free gift by means of faith in Christ. As Stott illustrates:

Although we have learned that the full enjoyment of that life awaits us beyond this world, Isaac Watts was right to sing, 'The men of grace have found glory begun below' ('Come, ye that love the Lord', by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Eternal life begins here and now as the Holy Spirit comes to take up residence within the born-again Christian, planting the life of God within the soul of man. We can know God, not just know about him. We enter a personal relationship with him through faith which unites us to God now and for ever. The future inheritance is already, in part, a present possession. But the way we remain in God, deepening our knowledge of and love for him, and becoming fruitful Christians, is by ensuring that his truth has the priority in our lives. We shall never outgrow the need of his Word as our daily diet, any more than we outgrow the need for daily food. But for most of us eating is not an end in itself; it is a means to live effectively through the day and get our work done. Its ease of preparation, flavour, appearance or even presentation matters less than that we swallow and digest what we need.

eternal life. John points to God promise to undo what happened to Adam and Eve (see note on Gen. 3:22), which Jesus won because of his obedience (see note on Jn. 12:46) and experienced in his resurrection. Eternal life is identified with Jesus elsewhere (5:20), or it is found in him (5:11). This is the eternal life that was with God at the beginning (1:2), and those who are in the Son experience it from the first moment of faith into eternity as a gift from God (5:12-13). Indeed, John says believers have already passed from death to life (see notes on Jn. 5:24-29)

Believers are enlightened directly by God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who illumines the Word and protects them from dangerous deviation from the truth of the gospel. See "The Holy Spirit: Do All Believers Have the Holy Spirit?" below.

The confusion generated by false teaching is a real danger (1 John 4:1-6). Even the elect may be deceived (Matt 24:24; Mark 13:22). Christians are obligated to listen receptively to other believers who may admonish and instruct them (Eph. 4:11-16) for they also have the Spirit.

John's phrase "all things" is not a promise that the Spirit makes all believers omniscient. His point was that the Spirit was instructing his readers about the errors of various false teachings they encountered and specifically about the deceptive claims made by those attempting to lead believers astray (1 John 2:26). See WCF 1.5; 17.2; WLC 4, 79; HC 32.

to teach you. See WCF 1.5; 17.2; WLC 4, 79; HC 32. The Holy Spirit enlivens the minds of believers and helps them understand God's word. The Spirit also gives discernment. This does not mean Christians do not need teaching, however. Because all believers have the indwelling Spirit and its gifts, they should listen to each other, but test what they here by what the Spirit says through the Scriptures. Those who departed may have claimed special knowledge or insight from the Spirit, but John reminds his readers they have the same Spirit who has given them true knowledge and understanding about Jesus.