Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary for the week of June 21, 2009

GROUNDED IN TRUTH     1 John 2:18-27; 4:1-6

We live in a world filled with people who claim to speak for God. Can they all speak the truth? What is the truth?

In 2007 LifeWay Research surveyed a representative sample of American adults who attend a Protestant church once a month or more. The survey revealed these facts:

• 61% strongly agreed that the Bible is the authoritative source of truth and wisdom for daily living.
• 54% strongly agreed that the Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all that it teaches.
• 21% study the Bible a few times a week or more.
• 16% read the Bible every day.

These numbers indicate that many people regularly attending church do not necessarily believe in the truthfulness of the Bible and do not know what it teaches. When people have no Biblical knowledge, they are in danger of being deceived by false teachers.

False teachers were not just a problem in the Apostle John’s day. They are all around us today. John reveals to us the antidote to false teaching. We must be students of the Word of God if we are to detect error and refute it. Federal agents charged with detecting and eliminating counterfeit money are required to study real bills so they will know the intimate details of the genuine article. When they know the genuine article, the counterfeit is easily spotted. So it is with the truth of God’s Word.

Most Bible readers know about the predicted coming of the Antichrist. Not only is the Antichrist coming, but many who embrace his values and agenda are already here. Many will follow them and leave the true church of Jesus. This proves that their faith was not genuine, and they were not truly converted. If they had been truly saved, they would not have left.

Many have difficulties with the phrase in 1 John 2:20 regarding an “anointing from the Holy One”. It literally reads “You have a special endowment from the sacred” (a charis’ma from the ha’gios). We are familiar with the word char’isma as denoting something spiritual, most often related to the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12). Most then will regard 1 John 2:20 as saying we have an endowment of something from the Holy Spirit that enables us to discern truth from error.

However, we are not told how the Spirit enables us to understand all things. Is it by some inner guidance, an internal, subjective experience? This is out of harmony with the context here, as John is appealing all along to hard facts that were taught from the beginning. How would we determine whose “inner experience” was valid?

This “special endowment from the sacred” refers to the body of teaching that had been passed down to the church leaders to whom John was writing. In essence, it refers to the Bible. Jesus Himself said,

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” John 16:13 (NKJV)

And further, we know that the Holy Spirit guided and controlled the formation of Holy Scripture:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16 (HCSB)

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21 (NKJV)

The antidote to false teaching is the Word of God, administered and confirmed by the work of the Holy Spirit. This Word is to “remain in you” (1 John 2:24). The term “anointing” is used again in verse 27, referring to the body of truth that has been passed down. It is to remain in us, in the sense of being firmly planted and not easily uprooted. We are to stand firm on the truth of God’s Word and not surrender it to subjective whims and feelings.

Measure all you read and hear by the objective standard of God’s Word. Some error is clearly seen. Some is more veiled and shadowy. Always test any teaching by how it lines up with the revealed Word of God.