The Call For Discernment: Part 2 - 1st John Lesson 20

Part 2

 We are going back to 1 John again today. We are looking at the first part of Chapter 4 and here John is issuing a call to discernment. Let’s read verses 1-6 and I will remind you that we find here the command to be discerning, the criteria we use in the exercise of discernment, and the characteristics or conduct of those who are discerning. Read the passage.

 Last week we looked at verse 1 and the command to be discerning. This was important to John because he saw error creeping into the church. John knew that Satan was relentless in his efforts to distort, deny, create doubt, or distract from the Word of God. Satan started this in the Garden of Eden and he has never let up. Nor will he. This is why the true followers of Christ must be willing to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Many false have gone out in to the world. They are far too often wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are very clever in mixing error in with truth and ultimately distorting, denying, creating doubt or distracting God’s people away from the truth.

 So we must be willing to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. We always use the Word of God as the basis for testing anything that is taught. We must be like the Bereans who look to the Word of God to see whether the things we are taught square with divine revelation. We even watch carefully those who might rise up within the church to become teachers. Paul warned the Ephesian elders about savage wolves who would come in among them, not sparing the flock. He also told them that among themselves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

 There is no such thing as harmless heresy. Any departure from the truth is dangerous and has devastating consequences. Anything that comes from a spirit other than the Holy Spirit is going to contain error. We should treat error like arsenic. Even a little should not be tolerated. We test the spirits so that we might be able to preserve sound doctrine. The health and well-being of the church requires a commitment to sound doctrine and sensitive discernment.

 After giving the command to be discerning and to test the spirits, John then gives the criteria for this test. Look at verse 2-3. “By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and ever spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now is already in the world.”

 This is the litmus test. True Christianity and pure biblical Christianity stands or falls on the issue of the person and work of Jesus Christ. John tells us here that the most important, and essential truth understood and believed by the church is the truth concerning Jesus Christ. If the truth concerning Christ is to be believed it must be understood.

 John says, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” So it is vital to understand what this means. If anyone asserts anything about Christ other than this, that spirit is not from God, but is rather the spirit of antichrist. The spirit of antichrist had already attacked the truth about Jesus Christ and John saw the peril associated with the error. Every false religion is a false religion because they have distorted the truth concerning Jesus Christ and His coming in the flesh.

 It is inevitable that solid biblical teaching includes the teaching of sound biblical doctrine. The doctrine that must be explored from this verse is the doctrine of Christology. We must understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Our salvation stands or falls on the issue of who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished. It is important that we have a proper understanding of what it means to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Does this mean that we simply acknowledge his earthly existence and it doesn’t matter what else we believe about Him? Not at all. All the major false religions of the world and even the demons do that. They are not true Christians.

 At the heart of John’s statement that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” is the fact that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in one person, and will be so forever. To understand this it is important to examine the humanity of Christ, His deity, and then attempt to understand how His humanity and deity are united in the one person of Christ.

1. The Humanity of Christ

a. An understanding of the humanity of Christ begins with the virgin birth.

i. Scripture clearly asserts that Jesus was conceived in the womb of His mother, Mary, by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father.

1. “…when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 1:18)

2. “But when he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” (Matt. 1:20)

3. “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:34-35)

ii. The doctrinal implications of the virgin birth.

1. It shows that salvation ultimately must come from the Lord.

a. Salvation can never come as a result of human effort, but must be the supernatural work of God.

b. “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4:3-4)

2. The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person.

a. For Christ to have been fully human, it was essential for His birth to involve one human parent.

b. If He had come with two human parents, it would have been impossible to come with a divine nature. It would have been hard for us to accept Him as fully God if His origin had been like ours. Because He is born of God and a human, He is both God and man.

3. The virgin birth makes possible Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin.

a. Jesus did not inherit the legal guilt from Adam we studied last time because He was not a descendant of Adam in the same way we are.

b. Why didn’t Jesus inherit a sin nature from Mary?

i. The Catholics teach that Mary was sinless. This is not the case.

ii. The work of the Holy Spirit in Mary must have prevented the transfer of a sin nature from Mary to Jesus.

b. One key evidence of His humanity was his experience of human weakness and limitations.

i. Jesus had a human body.

1. He was born like all human babies are born. (Luke 2:7)

2. He grew through childhood and into adulthood just like all humans. (Luke 2:40)

3. He became tired, hungry, and thirsty. (John 4:6, John 19:28, Matt. 4:11)

4. His human body ceased to have life in it and ceased to function, just like ours does when we die. (Luke 23:46)

5. His resurrected body is a physical body, though one no longer subject to weakness, disease, or death. (Luke 24:39, Luke 24:42, John 20:17, 20, 27)

ii. Jesus had a human mind.

1. He increased in wisdom. (Luke 2:52)

2. He went through the ordinary learning process of a child, learning how to read, write, and obey His parents. 

3. He had some limitations of knowledge. He did not know the day or the hour of His return. (Mark 13:32)

iii. Jesus had a human soul and human emotions.

1. He spoke of His soul as being troubled. (John 12:27, 13:21)

2. He said His soul was sorrowful. (Matt. 26:38)

3. He marveled at the faith of the centurion. (Matt. 8:10)

4. He wept at the death of Lazarus. (John 11:35)

c. Even though Jesus was human, it is critical to understand His sinlessness.

i. Satan was unsuccessful in his attempt to tempt Jesus to sin. (Luke 4:13)

ii. There is no record in any of the Gospels of a sin committed by Jesus.

iii. Jesus declared Himself to be “the light of the world.” (John 8:12) Light represents both truthfulness and moral purity. This is an astonishing claim that could only be made by someone who was free from sin.

iv. Jesus claimed to always do what is pleasing to His Father. (John 8:29)

v. At the end of His life Jesus said, “I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10)

vi. Pilate had to declare, “I find no guilt in Him.” (John 18:38)

vii. Paul declares Jesus to be “Him who knew no sin…” (2 Cor. 5:21)

viii. The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15)

ix. Jesus is “such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.” (Heb. 7:26)

x. Peter speaks of Jesus as a “lamb unblemished and spotless.” (1 Pet. 1:19)

xi. Peter tells us Jesus “committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.” (1 Pet. 2:22)

xii. John calls Jesus “Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1), and says of Him, “in Him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:5)

xiii. Because Jesus was temped in every respect as we are, (Heb. 4:15) He gained an understanding of our temptations and is able to help us in our temptations.

1. “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Heb. 2:18)

2. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:15-16)

d. Why was Jesus full humanity necessary?

i. For representative obedience.

1. Adam served as our representative in the Garden of Eden, and through his disobedience God counted us all guilty as well.

2. In a similar way, Jesus was our representative and obeyed for us where Adam had disobeyed and failed.

3. This parallel is seen in the temptation of Jesus in Luke 4:1-13 and the temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:15-3:7.

4. This parallel is described by Paul in Romans 5:12-21.

5. Paul called Christ “the last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45) and called Adam the “first man” and Christ the “second man” (1 Cor. 15:47). Jesus had to be a man in order to be our representative and obey in our place.

ii. To be a substitute sacrifice.

1. If Jesus had not been a man, He could not have died in our place and paid the penalty due to us.

2. “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb. 2:17) To propitiate is to satisfy. Jesus satisfied God’s demands for justice.

3. Jesus had to be fully man as well as fully God to fulfill His role as a mediator between God and man. (1 Tim. 2:5)

2. The Deity of Christ

a. The term incarnation refers to the fact that Jesus was God in human flesh.

i. This term does not occur in Scripture.

ii. The incarnation was the act of God the Son whereby He took to Himself a human nature.

iii. The Scriptural proof for the deity of Jesus Christ is extensive.

b. Direct Scriptural claims.

i. The word “God” (theos) is used of Christ.

1. “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God.” (Isaiah 9:6)

2. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

3. “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (John 1:18)

4. “Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28)

5. “and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen.” (Romans 9:5)

6. “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” (Titus 2:15)

7. “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…’” (Heb. 1:8)

8. “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1)

ii. The word “Lord” is used of Christ

1. Sometimes the word “Lord” is used as a polite address to a superior, roughly equivalent to our word “sir.” (Matt. 13:27, 21:30, 27:63; John 4:11)

2. The same word is used as a translation for the Hebrew yhwh, “Yahweh,” or “the Lord” or “Jehovah.”

3. The Greek word “kurios” is used to translate the name of the Lord 6,814 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint).

4. There are many instances in the N.T. where “Lord” is used of Christ in what can only be understood as this strong Old Testament sense, “the Lord” who is God Himself.

a. “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

b. John the Baptist declared, “For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’” (Matt. 3:3)

c. Jesus also identifies Himself as the sovereign Lord of the Old Testament when He asks the Pharisees about Psalm 110:1, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’”

5. There are frequent uses of “Lord” in the epistles to refer to Christ in the sense of the sovereign God of creation. (1 Cor. 8:6)

iii. Other strong claims to deity.

1. “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58) The religious leaders who heard this would have understood clearly that Jesus was identifying Himself as the same One who identified Himself to Moses as “I am who I am.” (Ex. 3:14)

2. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Rev. 22:13) This is a strong claim to equal deity with God the Father as the sovereign over all history and creation.

3. Jesus called Himself “the son of man” eighty-four times in the Gospels. This term has its background in the vision of Daniel 7 where Daniel saw one like a “son of man” who came to “the Ancient of Days” and was given “dominion and glory and kingdom…”

4. Jesus said, “…I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt. 26:64) This is a reference to Daniel 7:13-14.

c. Evidence that Jesus possessed attributes of deity.

i. Jesus demonstrated omnipotence when He calmed the sea with His word (Matt. 8:26-27), multiplied the loaves and fish (Matt. 14:19), and changed water into wine (John 2:1-11).

ii. Jesus demonstrated omniscience by knowing people’s thoughts (Mark 2:8), and knowing from the beginning who would betray Him (John 6:64). 

iii. The omnipresence of Jesus is declared in the Great Commission, “I am with you always.” (Matt. 28:20)

iv. Jesus demonstrated divine sovereignty, an authority that belonged to God alone, as seen in the fact that He could forgiven sins (Mark 2:5-7). While the Old Testament prophets had to declare, “Thus says the Lord,” Jesus prefaced His statements with “I say to you…” (Matt. 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44)

v. Jesus is counted worthy to be worshiped, something that is true of no other creature, even angels. (Phil. 2:9-11, Heb. 1:6)

d. Why was Jesus’ deity necessary?

i. Only someone who is infinite God could bear the full penalty for all the sins of everyone who would believe in Him. Any finite creature would have been incapable of bearing that penalty.

ii. Salvation is from the Lord (Jonah 2:9), and the message of Scripture is designed to show that no human being, no creature, could ever save man. Only God could accomplish salvation.

iii. Only someone who is fully God and fully man could be the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), both to bring us back to God and also to reveal God most fully to us (John 14:9).

iv. If Jesus is not fully God, we have no salvation. Anyone who denies the deity of Christ is without salvation. (1 John 2:23, 2 John 9)

3. The Incarnation: Deity and Humanity in the One Person of Christ

a. A careful consideration of the deity and humanity of Christ leads to some challenges.

i. How can Jesus be omnipotent and yet weak?

ii. How can Jesus leave the world and yet be with us until the end of the age?

iii. How can Jesus learn things and still be omniscient?

b. One nature does things that the other nature does not do. It is necessary to distinguish between things done by Christ’s human nature but not His divine nature, and visa versa.

i. With respect to His human nature we can say that Jesus ascended into heaven and is no longer with us. (John 16:28, 17:11) But with respect to His divine nature we can say that Jesus is everywhere present. 

1. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Matt. 18:20)

2. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

3. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23)

4. So we can say that both things are true about the person of Jesus. He has ascended to heaven and He is also present with us.

ii. In His human nature, Jesus was tired (Matt. 4:2, 8:24, Mark 15:21, John 4:6), but in His divine nature He was omnipotent (Matt. 8:26-27, Col. 1:17, Heb. 1:3).

1. Particularly on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat because He was tired, but was able to rise from sleep and calm the winds of the storm with a word.

2. Here we see that His weak human nature concealed His divine nature until the omnipotence of His divine nature broke forth and completely overshadowed His human nature.

iii. In regards to His human nature, Jesus died (Luke 23:46, 1 Cor. 15:3). But with respect to His divine nature He did not die, but was able to raise Himself from the dead. (John 2:19, 10:17-18, Heb. 7:16)

iv. With respect to His human nature, Jesus was tempted in every way as we are tempted, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). With respect to His divine nature, He was not tempted, because God cannot be tempted with evil (James 1:13).

c. Anything either nature does, the person of Christ does.

i. Anything done either by Christ’s divine or human nature is something done by Jesus.

1. “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Jesus didn’t say, “Before Abraham existed, My divine nature existed.”

2. “Christ died for our sins.” (1 Cor. 15:3) Even though only His human body ceased living and functioning, it was nonetheless Christ as a person who died for our sin.

3. Jesus could say, “I am leaving the world” (John 17:11), and “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20) because anything done by one nature or the other is done by Christ.

4. Conclusion:

This is by far the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible. Far more amazing than the resurrection and more amazing even than the creation of the universe is the fact that infinite, omnipotent, eternal Son of God could become man and join Himself to a human nature forever.  That infinite God became one person with finite man, will remain for eternity the most profound miracle and the most profound mystery in all the universe.