1 John 2:18-27

Read 1 John 2:18-27

Helpful Background Information: 

• This passage warns Christians of those who deny the Son and have walked away from the faith, as well as to encourage genuine believers to remain in the Lord. 

• The antichrists John talks about in this passage is not The Antichrist of the end times, but rather is anything/anyone that sets itself against/denies Christ. John was talking about those who had risen to tear apart the Christian communities because of their spirit of rebellion. 

• Thankfully, there is no fear in Christ, as believers have the Holy Spirit living and working inside of them to guard against false teachers. This anointing does not make Christians independent of Scripture or godly instruction; it gives them spiritual discernment to recognize teaching that agrees with the truth revealed in Christ.

Reflection Questions: 

• In what ways are you currently tempted to love the world more than God's will?  What distractions or spiritual "noise" make it difficult for Scripture and foundational gospel truth to dwell deeply in your everyday routine?

• John warns that "many antichrists have come" and that deceptions can arise even from within spiritual communities. What “teachings” have you heard from spiritual communities that sounded good on the outside, but are biblically inaccurate? How do you evaluate ideas or cultural trends to determine whether they align with the gospel? 

• How we live our life tells us more about who we belong to than who we claim to belong to. One clear commandment throughout Scripture is to love others. How are you doing at loving other members of God's family? Is there someone with whom you need to reconcile? Someone you need to encourage?