Friday, April 27, 2018

1 John 2:22-24 – Denial that Jesus is the Christ

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. Whoever denies the Son, the same does not have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also. As for you, let that remain in you which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son, and in the Father. — 1 John 2:22-24, Restoration Light Improved Version.

One author states concerning the above verses: "According to 1 John 2:22-23, belief in the blessed Trinity is not optional but critical to having a true faith toward God." Another states regarding "apostates": “According to 1 John 2:22-23 they will deny the Trinity.” Another states: “Beware when you deny the trinity your [sic] not TRULY saved 1 John 2:22.” On one site we find the following statement: "First John 2:18–27 warns against those who oppose Christ in their teachings. These 'anti-Christs' deny that Jesus is God. They reject Him as part of the Trinity, or claim He did not appear in the flesh." Another states: "And so if we read 1 John 2:22 in light of what he says, by the way, 'not only in 1 John 4:1-3, but about five other times in this gospel or in this letter' we see that John's concern is people who are basically teaching that God has not incarnated the second person of the Trinity in the flesh; that is, that the Messiah is to be distinguished from Jesus of Nazareth." One claims: "Well, to deny the Trinity is heresy. 1 John 2:22 says:" as though 1 John 2:22 were speaking of denying the trinity.  One can find many similar statements concerning 1 John 2:22 and the trinity.

Thus, it would seem that many "see" either the “the trinity” in 1 John 2:22-23, and/or that they "see" Jesus as being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:13,14) in 1 John 2:22-23. The trinitarian often furthers "sees" in 1 John 2:22-23 that the Father is one person of the triune God, and that Jesus is another person of the triune. And then, based on what they “see” in 1 John 2:22-23, they would claim that anyone else who does not “see” this must be antichrist, or, at least not Christian. It should be obvious, however, that many trinitarians and oneness believers are “seeing” something in what John wrote that is not stated. As of yet, we have not found anyone who has ever attempted to explain what it is in 1 John 2:22-23 that refers to any triune God, or that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Indeed, it appears to be simply presumed, and the presumption is taken for granted.

Actually, John wrote nothing at all about denying the trinity; he wrote nothing at all about denying that Jesus is Jehovah; he wrote nothing at all about there being two, or three persons, in one God; he wrote nothing at all about Jesus as being the God of Abraham. Indeed, throughout the New Testament, the Father of Jesus is always presented as being the God of Abraham; not once do we find any scripture that identifies Jesus as being the God of Abraham (although many read that thought into many scriptures). John no where presents the idea of "incarnation" as taught in the doctrine by that name, that is, that the Almighty Jehovah incarnated himself in, or took on, flesh, making himself both the Supreme Being (having the glory of being above all creation) and human being (which would scripturally mean having the glory of being a little lower than the angels) at the same time.

Thus, plainly there is nothing 1 John 2:22-24 that says anything at all about denying belief in an alleged “Blessed Trinity"! There is a mention of the Father and Son, but no mention of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing at all in 1 John 2:22-24 that presents any concept of what is usually called the trinity nor is there anything there at all that says anything about Jesus being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We can only conclude that that many are presuming that the dogma of men is the basis of faith and thus that they imagining beyond what is written that 1 John 2:22-24 condemns any who disagree that dogma. — 1 Corinthians 4:6.

Do the scriptures ever present such an idea that Jesus has to be the God of Abraham in order to save mankind? Absolutely not! Such has been imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures, but in reality, the only requirement for the sent savior is that he be a sinless man, who unlike Adam, is kept righteous by obedience to the God of Abraham. Indeed, by adding to the Scriptures that Jesus is the God of Abraham, one, in effect, annuls the scripture that tells us that Jesus condemned sin in the flesh, for Jesus -- if he were God Almighty in the flesh -- would have, in effect, demonstrated that in order to obey Jehovah, that man has to be Jehovah. This would not condemn sin in the flesh, but rather it would justify sin the flesh, proving that the only way that Adam could have obey Jehovah was that Adam would have needed to have been Jehovah.

See:

No, John did not write about denying any doctrine of men that has to be imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures, such as the triune God dogma. He was talking about denying the Son, which, in effect, also denies the Father, since it was the only true God who sent the Son (John 17:1,3), and the only true God performs His works through His Son. — 1 Corinthians 8:6.

Jesus was sent by the Lord Jehovah, speaks for Jehovah as one person who is God and Father, Jesus represents Jehovah, and it was only one person who is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who raised and glorified His Son. Jesus never claimed to be, nor do the scriptures present Jesus as, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom Jesus represents and speaks for. — Deuteronomy 18:15-22; Matthew 22:32; 23:39; Mark 11:9,10; 12:26; Luke 13:35; 20:37; John 3:2,17,32-35; 4:34; 5:19,30,36,43; 6:57; 7:16,28; 8:26,28,38; 10:25; 12:49,50; 14:10; 15:15; 17:8,26; 20:17; Acts 2:22,34-36; 3:13-26; 5:30; Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3; 8:6; 11:31; Colossians 1:3,15; 2:9-12; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:1.

Let us examine further. John wrote: “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” “Christ” means “anointed”. Who anointed Jesus, making him the Christ? We find that the Messiah is quoted in Isaiah 61:1 as prophetically stating, “Jehovah ... has anointed me.” (Isaiah 61:1) Jesus applied that prophesy to himself. (Luke 4:18-21; see also: Psalm 45:7; Acts 2:36; 10:38; Hebrews 1:9)  Thus, to deny that Jesus is the Christ is not to deny that Jesus is Jehovah, but to deny that Jesus is the one whom Jehovah anointed and sent.

While there were many in John's day who denied that Jesus was the one whom Jehovah anointed (Isaiah 61:1), Satan has been at work to mislead many people to create dogma beyond what is written that, in effect, would deny the God and Father of Jesus and that Jesus is really the Son of the only Most High, Jehovah. Indeed, it is the trinitarian that tends toward denying that Jesus really is the Anointed of God, since it would add to what is written in the bible that Jesus is a person of a triune God. Likewise, any who claim that Jesus is Jehovah (Yahweh, as some prefer) would, in effect, tend toward denial that Jesus is the one anointed by Jehovah. Trinitarians try to explain this away by calling upon the spirit of human imagination so as to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scriptures that it was not their triune God who anointed Jesus, but that it was only one person of their triune God, the Father, who anointed another person of their triune God, both of whom they claim are “fully God”. Some of the oneness believers, with their spirit of human imagination, have claimed that it is one aspect of God who anointed another aspect of God, etc. Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and some other groups, on the other hand, claim that Jesus is Jehovah, and the Father is not Jehovah, and thus, if they would be consistent in application of their reasoning, the Lord Jehovah of Isaiah 61:1 could not have possibly anointed Jesus.






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