LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL by Pastor Mensa Otabil
Tuesday 12th September 2023
DISCERN THE LIE
Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
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. 1 John 2:22-23
This passage is a pivotal passage for every Christian. It sets out how to know which doctrines are lies and which ones are true. The Apostle John differentiates between the message of Christ and the anti-Christ.
Who is a liar? That is the big question.
The liar here is not just a person who makes up stories to tell his friends. It goes way deeper than that. The liar John has in mind is the one who propagates a false message in the name of Christ. In the days of John, there were many preachers who were preaching messages that denied Christ. There are some in our day as well.
• A liar denies that Jesus is the Christ. The world is comfortable with Jesus being described as a prophet, moral teacher, sage, or some other noble person. However, the moment Jesus is described as the Saviour of the world it takes offence. Any Christian message that does not affirm Christ as Saviour falls short of the truth. Any Christian message that does not uphold Christ above all else, is essentially denying Him.
• The liar denies both the Father and the Son. The word that is translated as ‘deny’ means to disown something. There are Christians who disown the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. They deny that God became Man in order to save mankind from sin. This is far from the truth because God did come in the flesh as Jesus Christ to save humanity from sin.
The true Christian does not deny God’s rule over any aspect of their lives. A true Christian defends the truth of God’s word against all the lies of the enemy.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to discern the lies of the enemy and defend the truth in your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!