1 John 2:18-27 Bible Study Notes

Bible Study Notes – 1 John 2:18-27

We continue our study in 1 John which primarily teaches disciples how to live, individually and collectively, in the “beloved community” which the “Church” personifies.  The author, the Apostle John, “the Beloved Disciple” who also wrote the Gospel of John as well as the other two epistles and the book of Revelation, instructs believers on the practicality of living in fellowship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ (the Logos and the Life) within a community of fellow believers.  In this week’s passage, we explore the necessity of adhering to the traditional teaching that Jesus is the Christ.  He defines the “Anti-Christ” as those persons who oppose this teaching.  He encourages the believers to remain steadfast in their allegiance to Christ.  He tells them that Christ gives them an anointing to sustain them in their faith.  John also addresses the secession in their faith community.  We will discuss the importance of high Christology in preaching and teaching.

Consider the following ides and questions as you study the passage.

Warnings Against Antichrists – 1 John 2:18-27

• In the eighteenth verse, the apostle tells the “Beloved Community” they are living in “the last hour.”  What does he mean by this phrase?  Consider the literary image of a human life equating with a day.
• He then reminds them that had been warned previously about the coming of the “Antichrist.”  In fact, John says “many antichrists have come.”  Their arrival confirms the beginning of the last hour.
• Who are the “many antichrists?”  What did John mean by this phrase?  What did his audience hear when they listened to this letter?
• In the nineteenth verse, John speaks of these “many antichrists” who separate from the fellowship.  He asserts they did not really have any allegiance to the beliefs of the Johannine community.  Had they been genuine adherents to the traditional Christian faith, they would have remained in the community.
• Let’s discuss the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20.  The seed of  God’s Word lands in four different places and types of soil: (1) Path (quickly taken away by Satan’s doubt), (2) Rocky Places (rejoices in hearing the Word but have no root and quickly fall away when persecution comes), (3)  Among Thorns (worries of this life, deceitfulness of wealth, and desires for other things choke the Word creating an unfruitful outcome) and (4) Good Soil (hear the Word, accept it and produce a thirty, sixty or hundred fold crop of what was sown).
• John explains the secessionists’ departure by stating they never really belonged to the community.
• Elsewhere in the Church, we refer to such people as “backsliders.”  What does this term mean?  Is it possible to backslide as it relates to Christian faith and salvation? 
• Let’s discuss the doctrine of “The Perseverance of the Saints” from Calvinist, Free Grace and Arminian perspectives.
• Let’s discuss Calvin’s TULIP – Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints.
• Is there a difference between Apostasy (falling away completing from the faith) and Backsliding (living as a carnal Christian and thereby hindering the process of sanctification)?
• In the twentieth verse, John encourages believers within his fellowship by reminding them they have “an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth.”  Let’s define “anointing.”  Who anoints?  For what purpose does He anoint?  Exodus 30:22-33 details God’s purpose in the process of anointing someone for His exclusive service.
• Also, John reminds his fellow disciples they know the “truth.”  The Lord Jesus Christ teaches “God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.”  (John 4:24)  Worship combines the experiential poles of head and heart.
• John exhorts the beloved community to remember no lie comes from the truth.  Later in the Letter, he encourages them to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
• Allude to the “Real People” segment in which a woman insisted God instructed her to evangelize to men in the nude.  Her naked body was an instrument to grasp their attention.  The apostle Paul fights against the cult of temple prostitutes in Ancient Rome (Romans 12:1-2).  Can Christian men witness at old-fashioned bachelor parties?  Should churches sell lottery tickets given the percentage of Christians who play the game?
• In the next verse, 22, he asks “Who is the liar?”  In answering this rhetorical question, John defines the “Antichrist.”  “The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son.”
• Is it acceptable for a minister of the Christian gospel to disregard the doctrine of the divinity of Christ?
• In the twenty-third verse, John reiterates his doctrine of Christ as the way to the Father.  Compare this verse with John 14:6.  Also, consider Colossians 1:15-21 and Colossians 2:9.
• Then, in the twenty-fourth verse, John recommends his fellow disciples protect “what you have heard from the beginning.”  It remains with them.  It is vital for people to know their faith doctrines, traditions and rationales.
• As a disciple, a person is a lifelong student of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Continual learning is a practical means of persevering in the faith.  As we learn more about Christ’s teachings, we expand our relationship with Him.  The relationship of a disciple to the Lord is not stagnant.  Rather, it is to be daily vibrant until it eventuates in eternal life for the believer.
• In the twenty-sixth verse, John states another purpose for his letter.  He writes to prevent any potential deception of his fellow believers.  Further. He does not want them to be led astray.
• He concludes this portion of the Letter with assurance that their anointing, which God graciously imparts, remains in them.  It will keep them true to Christ and His teachings.  As a consequence, the Holy Spirit will serve as their Teacher. Allude to 2 Corinthians 5:5 (the English word, deposit, in the NIV translation in the original Greek equates with the real estate term, earnest money.)  Additionally, allude to John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
• John lastly exhorts the community of believers to rely genuinely upon God’s anointing which instructs them in all things; it is real and not counterfeit.  Fundamentally, the anointing of the Holy Spirit teaches us to remain in the Lord Jesus Christ.