April 20, 2015
1 John 2:22-23
Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
CONSIDER THIS
EXAMPLE #1: What if you had a certain kind of cancer that could only be cured with a very specific kind of medicine? What if it had a 100% cure rate. And what if you had access to this medicine? What if there were actually an unlimited supply of this medicine but that without this particular medicine you would not survive the cancer? Would you take the medicine?
Of course you would. Now, what if you found out there were people who had this kind of cancer who did not know about this life saving medicine? You would want to do anything you could to make sure they got the medicine wouldn’t you?
EXAMPLE #2: Jesus is the only cure for the cancer of sin. He is the only way to know the God of Holy Love. He will save anyone and everyone who will receive him. Those who refuse him will die in their sin.
Why is it that noone is ever offended by EXAMPLE #1 and yet many are offended by EXAMPLE #2? How is it that EXAMPLE #2 is considered by many to be somehow “unfair” while EXAMPLE #1 is pure good news?
Today’s text makes it clear.
No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
John’s Gospel records the very words of Jesus, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is totally exclusive, yet it is radically inclusive. Anyone who will believe gets in on it.
There are a lot of people who still don’t know about him yet.
J.D. Walt writes daily for Seedbed’s Daily Text. He serves as Seedbed’s Sower in Chief. Follow him @jdwalt on Twitter or email him at jd.walt@seedbed.com. Get the Daily Text delivered to your inbox fresh every morning. Subscribe HERE.