Mensa Otabil - Discern the Lie

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We are in First 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 the 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. John is instructing the Christians about the doctrine of Christ and the doctrine of the Antichrist, 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, and 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.

All right, 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, a moral teacher, or even a prophet. All nice things about Jesus Christ, but they 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 views him as a good person, but doesn’t acknowledge who he is in his divinity and as the only Savior of the world, John says that’s a lying doctrine. So whether it’s being preached from the pulpit or by a pastor, if that assertion is made, John says it’s a lie. The Scripture says it’s a lie. Any message that does not uphold Christ above everything else essentially is 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, to not 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. That’s not my belief.» You know, there are certain Christians who have their own personal beliefs irrespective of it being in the Bible or in 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. The true Christian does not deny God’s rule over their lives; we accept God to rule our lives. We bring ourselves under his dominion, and we allow the Son to also rule over our lives. 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.