What is the meaning of 1 John 2:22? Who is the liar John points straight at the identity of falsehood. In a world that blurs moral lines, he does not: anyone contradicting God’s revelation is a liar. Just as Jesus said, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Earlier in this letter John warned, “If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar” (1 John 1:10). So: •Truth is measured by God’s Word, not popular opinion. •Lies about Christ are rooted in the devil’s character. Cross references: John 14:6; Titus 1:2; Revelation 21:8. the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ The specific lie: refusing to confess Jesus as the promised Messiah—God’s anointed King, Savior, and the only way to the Father. Denial shows up in many forms: •reducing Him to mere prophet (John 6:14), •suggesting He is one way among many (Acts 4:12), •questioning His incarnation or deity (1 John 4:2–3). John writes to believers surrounded by teachers who claimed secret knowledge yet rejected Jesus’ full identity. Scripture insists, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him” (1 John 4:15). Cross references: Matthew 16:16; John 20:31; Acts 2:36. This is the antichrist “Antichrist” is not limited to a single future figure; it describes anyone actively opposed to or replacing Christ. Earlier in the chapter John said, “Even now many antichrists have arisen” (1 John 2:18). Characteristics: •opposes Christ’s person and work (1 John 4:3), •deceives many (2 John 7), •originates from within visible religion, then departs (1 John 2:19). Such teachers often sound spiritual, but their message subtracts from or adds to Christ. Cross references: 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4; Matthew 24:24; Revelation 13:5–6. who denies the Father and the Son Denying Jesus automatically severs genuine relationship with the Father. Jesus said, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23). Christian faith is relational: •The Father sent the Son (John 3:17). •The Son reveals the Father (John 14:9). •The Spirit testifies to both (John 15:26). Rejecting one Person of the Godhead is rejecting the whole. “No one who denies the Son can have the Father; whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well” (1 John 2:23). Cross references: John 15:23; Hebrews 1:3; 2 John 9. Summary 1 John 2:22 exposes the gravity of false teaching about Jesus. Any voice that diminishes or denies His Messiahship is branded a lie and carries the spirit of antichrist. Genuine faith holds together the Father and the Son; to reject one is to lose both. Truth, life, and fellowship flow only through confessing Jesus as the Christ. |
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