One of the many attributes of love written in 1 Corinthians 13 is to always protect and John writes in 1 John how believers are to protect themselves and the body of Christ. John teaches what we should and should not do, what to expect in the future to protect ourselves and that God’s truth protects us.

1 John 2: 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world--the
cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has
and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

We need to protect ourselves from sinful craving, lusting with our eyes and to boast of what we have and achieved in this world because that is loving the world more than God. John said that one day all the worldly things people love will one day perish and the only thing that will remain is God and all those who have loved God by obeying his will. God tested Abraham to see if he loved him first more than his son Isaac, so we should also ask ourselves if there is anything in this world that you love more than God that keeps you from obeying his will.

1 John 2: 18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

We need to protect ourselves by being ready for the coming of the antichrist. John said this over 1900 years ago and many Christians have become complacent in protecting themselves from the antichrist. John teaches that we will know the antichrist is close in coming when people in church begin to leave the truth found in the Bible and begin to follow what is not found in the Bible. This is what Paul warned in 2 Thessalonians 2, that there will be a rebellion within churches when churches no longer know or obey the truth of Scripture and follow their own instincts of what is good to them and not what is good to God.

1 John 2: 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.

The Holy Spirit’s anointing is God’s words that he has given to us in the Bible. These are God’s truth and everything that is not found in the Bible is a lie. That is why Jesus commands us to be his disciples of God’s word so that we remain in the truth so that we can distinguish when someone is lying about God’s truth.

1 John 2: 22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

The Holy Spirit teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, he is God and anyone who denies that Jesus was sent by God to represent the Father himself also is denying the Father because they are one. Anyone who denies Jesus as being God is antichrist. Only when we acknowledge that the Son and the Father are one then we are one with them.

1 John 2: 24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him.

John taught the churches God’s truth from what we read in the book of John and when that truth remains in us then Jesus and the Father will remain us and even eternal life.

Jesus promised that all who believe in him, he will send the Holy Spirit to dwell in them forever. The Holy Spirit is the anointing we have received from Jesus to teach us his truth. When we know the truth of God’s word and can distinguish what is counterfeit. When we know God’s truth from the Bible then we can trust that it is the Holy Spirit who is teaching you. This trust is so that we do not feel incapable to know God’s truth and depend only in teaching by those who have theological degrees.

When you are not being taught by the Holy Spirit to know God’s word then you will not be able to discern when someone with a theological degree is teaching what is counterfeit to God’s truth.

I have witness this when a teacher of authority in the UCC church told me what I said at a church meeting was untrue because he studied Greek and Hebrew language to interpret the true meaning of Scripture which allowed gay union and gay pastors in church. He was trying to lead the church astray from what was clearly taught in Scripture that any kind of sexual immorality cannot be tolerated or condone in church it must be holy to Christ.
You must trust in the Holy Spirit’s teaching of what is written clearly in the Bible so that you can discern every teaching you hear.

That is why Jesus said he never put his trust in man because he knew what was in man.

1 John 2: 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

We are God’s children because we do what is righteous to Jesus because we know and obey his teachings and commandment out of love for God and have the confidence and be unashamed when Jesus comes to take us home.

God did not create the world to be sin but was made from his love because everything he made was good. Only when our sinful nature distorted and abused God’s design in how to enjoy his creation it was cursed.

We have God’s truth being taught to us by his Holy Spirit from the Bible so that we can protect ourselves from following our sinful nature and do what is true to Jesus.

Be safe in Jesus, Ps. Glenn