Mensa Otabil - Who Is a Liar? (10/19/2025)
We are in 1 John chapter 2, and we read verses 22 and 23. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. This passage is a very pivotal passage for every Christian; it sets out the way to know which doctrines are lies and which doctrines are true.
So, John is instructing the Christians about the doctrine of Christ and the doctrine of the Antichrist. He’s making a differentiation, so he asks, «Who is the liar?» That’s the question: How do we know which one is true and which one is a lie? The lie here is not just a person who tells lies to his friends, makes up stories, or exaggerates in conversation. That’s not the liar John is talking about. He’s talking about doctrines of lies or lying doctrines. These are Christian teachings that are not truth; it’s a lie. So, it’s very fundamental to our Christian life, and each one of us must pay attention to doctrines that are lies and differentiate them from the truth of Christ.
Alright, so how does he answer the question? He says a liar denies that Jesus is the Christ. That’s fundamental. They accept Jesus as a good man, as a moral teacher; Jesus was probably even a prophet. They say all nice things about Jesus Christ but stop short of acknowledging the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ-that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Any message that only sees Jesus in humanistic forms and regards Him as a good person, a nice person, but doesn’t acknowledge who He is in His divinity and who He is as the Christ, the only Savior of the world, John says that’s a lying doctrine.
So, whether it’s being preached in the pulpit or by a pastor, if that assertion is made, John says it’s a lie. The scripture declares it a lie. Any message that does not uphold Christ above everything else is essentially lying about who Christ is. That’s the first thing. Second, he says the liar denies both the Father and the Son. The word «deny» means to disown something, not to accept it, to say, «Well, you say, but I don’t accept it. I disown it. I don’t embrace it.» So, the liar denies both the Father and the Son. To disown means you don’t embrace it; you don’t accept it; you don’t want it to be your own.
There are people who would say, «Well, the Bible says it, but I don’t accept it.» There are certain Christians who have their own personal beliefs, irrespective of what’s in the Bible or the Word of God. So, if you disown the truth of who Jesus is and who the Father is and the relationship between the Father and the Son, you are a liar. The doctrine is a doctrine of lies. A Christian does not deny God’s rule over their lives; we accept God to rule over our lives. We bring ourselves under His dominion, and we allow the Son to also rule over our lives, and that is the truth of the Christian faith. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, help me to discern the lies of the enemy and defend the truth in Your Word. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.