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1 John 2:24: Therefore let that abide in you, which you had from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. John the Apostle is the last surviving apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, one of those who heard Him teach from the beginning of His message, right through to His resurrection, His ascension, and who were also present at the formation of the church from the book of Acts and throughout the early history of the church. So, John has been there from the beginning, and now he is left alone, and at this time, so many people were teaching things that were inconsistent with the Christian message, which he calls «that which was from the beginning.» What we heard Christ teach, what the early apostles taught- that which was from the beginning.
So, the Apostle John is encouraging the Christians of his time and us also that this message of Christianity did not start with us; it didn’t start later in life. It began with Christ; it began with the apostles. We have to be mindful that it cannot be privately interpreted or expressed-that which was from the beginning.
So, the questions we want to ask ourselves are: Does the gospel continue to live in our lives? Are we continuing to live the life of Christ? Are we exemplifying Him? Is the word of God dwelling richly in us? Those are the concerns of the Apostle John. So, he charges us with some things that we must do, and he says, «Let what you heard abide in you.» As Christians, we must remain grounded in the foundation of the Christian faith.
Now when he says, «what you heard,» he’s not just talking about what you heard today, because what you heard today from your pastor or from your church may not be from that which was heard from the beginning. So, it doesn’t mean that if your pastor teaches you the wrong thing, you just abide in it. No, he’s talking about what Christ taught and what the apostles taught, and he says, «Let that abide in you.» That means that if you’re going to really remain as a Christian and live the Christian life, there are a couple of things you have to do: you have to read the gospels, read the words of Jesus Christ Himself, read about the life of Jesus Christ, watch His life, watch His words, read the words of the apostles, and read about the lives of the apostles. That becomes the foundation, and we compare everything we are hearing today and seeing today with what Jesus taught and what the apostles taught. That is what we call «that which is from the beginning,» and that is what must abide in us.
Then he says, «You must abide in the Father and in the Son.» You know, as Christianity grows, sometimes we forget the foundations. One of the things that we must be mindful of is that, yes, we go to church and we love our pastors, but we don’t abide in our pastors; we abide in the Father, we abide in Christ. Our fundamental Christian relationship is with the Father and with the Son and with the Holy Spirit. We have to know Jesus; we have to know the Father; we have to live for the Father; we have to live for Christ. That is the foundation of our Christian faith. It’s not just doing what your pastor says, honoring your pastor, and excluding Christ from the equation.
When we do that, we veer off from the truth into the lie, and this is what John is talking about. He’s saying to have a personal relationship with God, to know Him for yourself, to abide in Him, and to abide in the true doctrine of Christ. Read it for yourself, and that is how we overcome the lie of the enemy.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, draw me closer to Yourself. Help me to remain true to You. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.