Best. Teacher. Ever.

“These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”—1 John 2:26-27 NASB

     Have you ever been lied to? Have you ever been led to believe one thing by someone you trust to later find out that it was not necessarily accurate? I know I have been lied to and definitely misled a time or two. When we hear lied to and misled, we automatically think of the shifty, calculated instances where that employee calls in sick on Friday, only to be tagged on Facebook at the beach. Or, perhaps it is when we are told that our own names are being dragged through the mud by people we trust, who for whatever reason are misrepresenting us when we are not present. That is a different kind of lied to and misled. At least, it definitely hurts different.

     Truth is, we can examine our own faults and see where we have erred in this, as well as recognize where this has been done to us. But, this passage is not speaking about people trying to one-up us among our social peers, or those who are trying to twist things so that they are more liked than another. This passage is really about people trying to teach and speak on the Gospel in a way that is not right. They were twisting the message of Christ. Now, it is easy to think of the sinister type of false teachers looking only to extort us and glorify themselves. However, some of these liars were not wolves in sheeps clothing. They were actually teachers who thought they were protecting others with what they taught.  

     

     That is a scary thought. But, there were definitely well-intentioned people back in John’s day, just like there are today. Maybe they were telling their friends that all we had to do was just believe in Jesus and go on doing whatever we wanted because grace covered all we would ever do wrong. That we could sin all the more because of what Jesus did for us. Maybe they were teaching that if we believed in Christ and got this life wrong, He would be merciful and let us have another life like some of the eastern religions believed. That reincarnation was somehow biblical. Perhaps they were teaching that some of us would receive our wings and become angels once we got to heaven. As a believer in today’s world, I know I have heard all of these ideas come from well-meaning Christians. It does not mean that any of it is true.

     This is where the Holy Spirit, through study of His Word, which is the way God speaks to us today, teaches us, opens us up to sound doctrine and allows us to abide in the knowledge of the truth. The beautiful thing about this is as John points out, the Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us as we commit to studying His Word, so that we may not be misled by those misrepresenting His teachings. We will know His voice and we will be able to hear whether it is present in the one who is teaching us, or not. For, we will abide in His teachings and know His truth and we will easily recognize what comes from His Word and that which is not of Him.

     So, the question is are we spending enough time in prayer, in His Word and meditating on His Word to know when we get out of step with His teachings? Are you studying to show yourself approved to ensure that you are not the one misrepresenting Jesus? Are you standing in the Holiness of His Word, in Spirit and in truth, or are you persisting in the leaning of your own understanding?

Until Next Time

God Bless