V. 9 – “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”

 

We have in this verse, those who don’t abide in the teaching of Christ and those who do abide. 

 

What differentiates apart? Remember we are still in the context of deceivers. 

 

John is continuing on in His description of those who are false, how we will be able to tell and discern if we are in the presence of a deceiver. 

 

Once this is determined he tells us in the next verse what we are to do – by God’s grace we will take a look at this next time. 

 

What does this mean, that he does not abide in the teaching of Christ?

 

GOES TOO FAR – to go somewhere Christ has not gone. 

 

ABIDE – to remain. It’s translated continue, or continues. To stand. 

 

One of the first differences we see between those who abide and those who don’t is – 

 

A consistency to the Word.

 

The one that goes too far, is the one that does not remain consistent to the teaching of Christ.  

 

Here is another way deceivers are made apparent. Not only do they deny Christ (V. 7) but they go beyond what He has said.  They do not stay within the parameters of His teaching. They ignore the bounds of truth and stray down paths that are not consistent with His word.

 

On the other hand, those who do abide in the teaching of Christ will remain in the bounds of truth. 

 

Truth is cherished by those who abide in Christ. We guard it, uphold it and die for it – just as Christ did  

 

Another difference between those who abide and those who don’t is –

 

A love for the Word.

 

I think this goes without saying, but one of the motivations behind abiding in the word is a love of the word. 

 

“Jesus answered and said to him, “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. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” – John 14:23

 

“The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.” – 1 John 2:4-5

 

This goes back to verse 6, where it says –

 

“And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments”

 

If we love the Lord, we are going to be committed to His word. 

 

There is no desire to go anywhere else, or to do anything else but remain in the truth.

 

Deceivers have no desire to stay, because they have no love of the truth.

 

I’m reminded of what Peter said when the LORD asked His disciples, -- “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” – John 6: 67-68

 

What motivation could we possible have to stray?

 

Further, he says that those who do this, “do not HAVE God…”. – HAVE means to hold, to be closely joined to a person.  To possess. 

 

Perhaps the biggest difference between those who abide and those who don’t is a personal relationship to God.

 

Abiding in the teaching of Christ cannot take place apart from a personal relationship to God.

 

To know Christ is to know God. To hold to the teaching of Christ is to have a relationship to the Father. 

 

“Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also…” 

– John 14:9-12

 

Here you see an intimate and direct relationship between the Father and the Son. This relationship is so vital to our discerning of false teachers because one of their big tells is (and I know we’ve said this before) what they do with Christ.  They can say they have God, but if they do not hold to the teaching of Christ they are a liar – and they do not have God. 

 

“So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

 – John 7:16

 

One last difference to notice about those who abide and those who don’t – and this goes along with the last point – and that is:

 

A familial relationship

 

Those who abide – those who have God have been brought into His family.

 

When referring to those who do abide in the teaching he calls God – the Father, and Christ – the Son. He refers to them in a more intimate way. There is a familial closeness involved in this abiding.  

 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:12-13

 

We are God’s children, we have been given the right to call God – our Father.

 

“But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” – Luke 8:21

 

There is familial relationship between the Father and Son and those who abide in the teaching of Christ. 

 

What an amazing thing. 

 

Those who do not abide in the teaching of Christ are not part of God’s household. It’s to them that He will say, “depart from Me, I never knew you.” 

 

The LORD knows His own, and His own know Him.  He tells us what to do and we do it. Because we love Him, and because we know Him. We are committed to what He says, and we have no desire to go anywhere else – to whom would we go?

 

Once granted the truth the only reason a believer would seek to avoid it is when they have unconfessed sin in their lives.  If you are walking in rebellion in any way the truth is going to find you out.  Truth sheds light on darkness, it exposes what we want to keep hidden. 

 

 A rebellious heart creates a separation.  We do not experience that familial closeness as we should and we put ourselves at risk.  That which opposes the truth tickles the ears of those who are in sin. Before we know it, we are headed down the wrong path, following the wrong person and have forsaken the teaching of Christ. 

 

We need to be careful. Sin has a high cost. Oh, what it makes us forfeit. 

 

Let us hold fast and remain in the teaching of Christ, so that we will be able to discern those who seek to lead us astray.  

 

“As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.” – 1 John 2:24