“And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
1 John 2:22-23 NLT
John coins the term “Anti-Christ” as a means of describing the character of those who are diametrically opposed to the gospel and its tenants. Though the term is often associated with the Beast in Revelation or the Man of Lawlessness in Thessalonians, this description is about a mindset. Specifically, he points out that those with this spirit have a worldview that picks and chooses details about Christ’s relationship with his humanity and his deity. According to John, these things cannot be compromised while still having fellowship with Jesus. It is an issue of relationship. Since we are created in God’s image through him, it stands to reason that we must affirm his relational attributes. Jesus only makes sense in the context of his deity and his humanity. This is also true for our Christianity. Denying our spirituality or our flesh as united in Christ, is simply not Christian. Doing so will inevitably lead to division in his Body. In these truths, our very identity is at stake.
This post first appeared on JoshMcGary.com
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