Bible
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26. The apostle John says: “if anyone comes to you and does bring this
doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him” (2 John 10); what
is the doctrine the apostle refers to? |
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The
apostle John refers to the doctrine which holds that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh, for before saying those words, the apostle John said: “For many
deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves,
that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a
full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both
the Father and the Son” (2 John 7-9). As you can see, it is a particular
doctrine, that is, the doctrine which holds that Jesus Christ was a real man
made of flesh and bones. In other words, it is the doctrine of the
incarnation of the Son of God, as it is written: “And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and again:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of
no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).
Therefore it is the doctrine that holds the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ.
This is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, which is still denied by many
people (who claim that Christ was a spirit or a ghost). I call this doctrine
‘a fundamental doctrine of Christianity’ because Christ could die on the
cross for our sins in that He partook of flesh and blood. How could a spirit
die on the cross for our sins? Therefore, to deny the humanity of Christ or
that His body was a real human body made of flesh, bones and blood, leads
inevitably to deny His atoning sacrifice. And obviously, this diabolical
doctrine leads people to deny also the resurrection of Christ, which is the
cornerstone of Christianity in that it took place for our justification - so
if Jesus is not risen from the dead we would be still in our sins (1
Corinthians 15:17) and our faith would be futile -. |
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That’s
why, therefore, the heresy which affirms that Jesus Christ did not come in
the flesh is particularly dangerous and John warns us of those who teach it,
not only in his second epistle but also in his first epistle, where we read:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye
the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,
whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the
world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater
is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world:
therefore speak they of the world, and the world
heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not
of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of
error” (1 John 4:1-6) |