We’ve all experienced the confusion that comes with conflicting information. During those times
we ask ourselves: How can I know what to believe? How do I know who to believe? Which sources are
trustworthy, and which distort information? These questions can be overwhelming, and are a constant
reminder of the need for discernment in every area of life. But for Christians,
discernment is especially necessary to filter out any false teachings about Jesus we may hear.
Christians in the first century needed to do this too, living in times that were just as
confusing as ours. One of the areas that they needed discernment was in determining which
aspects of their lifestyle from before they became Jesus-followers could remain, and which
should be cut off. This was very difficult, since in many cases, believers were free to make their
own decisions, based on the Spirit’s leading and their conscience. However, it also left
them open to the danger of believing whatever they wanted to believe, justifying habits and thought
patterns which were culturally acceptable but not actually in line with the truth of the gospel.
But the early Christians needed discernment in a second significant area. This became clear
when distorted teachings about Jesus began to spread alongside the gospel
message. These false teachings became one of the early church’s greatest threats. And so,
distinguishing those who testified to the truth from those who proclaimed a lie,
became vitally important for the church to maintain a faithful witness to Jesus.
Several decades after Jesus’ had returned to heaven, the Apostle John went to Ephesus to
care for the growing churches there. To encourage their faith that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah,
he wrote a fourth gospel that focused more on Jesus’ divine identity than the other
three. He stated clearly: Jesus was God, and he had been with God from the very beginning.
However, John’s emphasis on the pre-existence of Jesus stirred
the imagination of some passionate newer believers, and they began to
go beyond what the eyewitnesses had reported to them. They viewed themselves as prophets,
probably claiming to have received some new and exclusive revelation about Jesus.
These false prophets overemphasized Jesus’ divine nature, and denied that he was also genuinely
human. In doing so, they imagined Jesus in terms familiar to Greco-Roman culture and religion. To
them, “the Christ” was simply a spirit, and not truly a man. And to them, his primary mission
was to reveal God’s glory in human terms, not to reconcile the relationship between God and
human beings. As a result, these teachers began to minimize sin’s bondage, and each person’s need for
atonement through the cross. Some even claimed to have no sin! But when challenged by believers who
discerned their distorted teachings, they responded with hate and scorn. And they
stopped gathering with those who chose to hold onto the teachings of Jesus’ eyewitnesses.
When John became aware of the traction these false teachings had gained, he responded quickly
and wrote the letter we now refer to as 1 John. In this letter, John corrected the misinterpretations
of his Gospel that were spreading. He equipped believers with practical tests for discerning
between teachers who were trustworthy, and those who distorted the truth. He cautioned readers
against the teaching of anyone who refused to confess both Jesus’ full divinity and humanity,
or who called themselves children of God while justifying sinful lifestyles. Also,
he urged them to be wary of anyone who claimed to love God, but didn’t show love to other believers
and withdrew from Christian fellowship. John reminded his readers that God had given
them both the Holy Spirit and the eyewitness testimonies to navigate these confusing times,
and they would not contradict one another. To remain in this teaching, was to abide in Christ.
1 John brought much clarity to the churches in crisis. But unfortunately,
the influence of the false teachers continued to grow. They began to travel beyond the churches
John could visit regularly. 2 John seems to have been written to a church that was about
to be infiltrated by these traveling teachers. Though John couldn’t warn them in person, he wrote
2 John to explain the danger of hosting false teachers in their homes, or even greeting them
as a fellow Christian. To do this would be like joining them in spreading distortions about Jesus.
But John didn’t want all traveling teachers kept out of the church. Teachers of the truth also
relied on the hospitality of Christians wherever they went. This seems to be the reason John wrote
another letter to a man named Gaius, the letter we call 3 John. John had heard that Gaius welcomed
in trustworthy teachers, but was opposed for this by someone named Diotrephes. Like John,
Diotrephes may have been concerned about the false teachers infiltrating the region. But he went too
far and tried to protect his church from any outside influence—even from the apostle John’s!
The letters of John show us that the Holy Spirit is our reliable guide in discerning
between true and false teachings about Jesus. These letters remind
us to always look for the fruit of the Spirit in the lives of those who claim
to speak in Jesus’ Name. When we stand firm in the truth, not swayed by any distortions,
we know that we abide in Jesus who is the true God, and in him alone we have eternal life.
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