How does 1 John 2:23 define the relationship between the Father and Son? Center Stage: The Key Verse “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.” (1 John 2:23) What the Verse Explicitly Affirms • The Father and the Son are inseparably linked. • Relationship with the Father is impossible apart from acknowledgment of the Son. • Confessing (openly agreeing with and embracing) the Son automatically brings one into fellowship with the Father. • Denying the Son simultaneously forfeits any claim to the Father. The Exclusive Interdependence • No “back-door” approach exists: the Father cannot be accessed while bypassing the Son. • The Son is never portrayed as optional; He is essential. • Mutual possession language (“has the Father… has the Son”) shows shared, unified divine identity. Harmony with the Rest of Scripture • John 14:6-7 — “No one comes to the Father except through Me… From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” • John 5:23 — “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” • John 10:30 — “I and the Father are one.” • 2 John 9 — “Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.” • Matthew 11:27 — “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Doctrinal Implications • Full deity: The Son shares the Father’s nature, making fellowship with Him equal to fellowship with the Father. • Salvific focus: Eternal life hinges on embracing Christ; no neutral stance is possible. • Guard against error: Any teaching that separates the Father from the Son (or diminishes either) is immediately ruled out as false. Practical Takeaways • Confess Christ openly; silent admiration is not biblical confession. • Test every message and movement: does it exalt the Son as the only way to the Father? • Rejoice in assurance: if you have embraced the Son, Scripture guarantees you possess the Father as well. |
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