Changed by His Love
1 John 4:2: By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.
John is meeting head–on the early heresy of Gnosticism, one of the branches of which said that Christ came upon Jesus at His baptism and left Him at Calvary. That is not what the Word of God teaches. The Word of God says that that Babe in Bethlehem was more than a remarkable baby, that His death upon the Cross was not an ordinary death, and that when He rose from the dead, He rose bodily from the dead. He “… was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).
The child is born, but the Son is given. The Son came out of eternity, the Ancient of Days, but the child, His humanity, was conceived in the virgin’s womb. He came forth yonder in Bethlehem where a few shepherds and wise men came to worship Him. He was more than just a precocious child. He was the precious Prince of Peace who made peace by the blood of His Cross and some day shall bring peace to this war–weary world that we are living in. Let’s find out what a person believes about Jesus Christ. That’s important. 1
Loving Him
Our confession of faith must be more than just a repeated bunch of sentences. It must be a belief in Christ that is backed by faith in Christ. Believing who Christ is, must be based upon His Word and not based on who we want Him to be. Christ is not some designer God left up to our imagination. He is the eternal God who came in the flesh and offers redemption and regeneration. Is that the Christ you follow?
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3
Loving Others
The Spirit of God will reveal if you truly have a heart for God.
Make Me Like You
Lord, thank You for adopting me as your child.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (1 John) (electronic ed., Vol. 56, p. 117). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
