2 John 1:3 (KJV) The Son of the Father

2 John 1:3 (KJV)

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 

 

I want to address this very blatant phrase calling Jesus, the Son of the Father. Those Muslims and others like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who like to challenge my Christological position love passages such as this because, in their view, they categorically prove Jesus is not God. I believe they are guilty of two very common hermeneutical errors:

 

They read into the passage their preconceptions

They already know what a son is because they are one or else a daughter, which is a female version of what they already know to be a son. Their rigid definition of a son requires that he be the offspring, or in the case of Jesus, the creation of God. Mormons would claim Him to be the literal offspring of God. Even in general linguistic terms, this is not always the case. For instance, adoption produces a relationship called son without being offspring. Mentors might often call a person they’ve trained a son. A prodigy might proudly think of themselves as the son of their teacher. Bottom line, we can’t assume our definition of the word is the one employed. This leads to the second error.

 

They read the passage out of context

It doesn’t take tons of biblical study to see that the term son is not always used of one’s offspring. Paul called Timothy his son in the faith. Often grandchildren and even great-grandchildren are called sons. Adam is called the son of God. Angels are called the sons of God. Stars are called the sons of God. One of the definitions of the Hebrew word, according to Strong’s Concordance, is a son as implying connection in respect of membership, service, resemblance, manifestation, destiny.

 

Jesus is the Son of the Father in exactly the way the Bible describes Him, 

•       Hebrews 1:3 “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,” 

•       John 14:9 “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” 

•       Philippians 2:6 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” 

•       Colossians 2:9 “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

 

#BiblicalTruth #JesusIsGod #ChristianApologetics #SonOfTheFather #KJVStudy

The Son of the Father: Defending Christ’s Deity Against Misinterpretations

• What do you believe it means for Jesus to be the Son of the Father?
• Study 2 John 1:3 and compare it with Hebrews 1:3 and Philippians 2:6 to deepen your understanding of His divine nature.

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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2 John 1:3 (KJV) The Son of the Father

1 John 5:6 (KJV) Jesus

1 John 5:6 (KJV)

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

 

To fully understand this passage, one must consider 

1 John 5:5-13 (KJV) 

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

 

This passage addresses the question, “How do we overcome the world?” The answer is simple: “Believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” But this faith is not a blind leap. The passage provides evidence of:

•       How He came: By water and blood, as testified by the Holy Spirit.

•       Who He is: He is God incarnate—co-equal, co-eternal, the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

•       Who confirms His deity: Though we have the testimony of the Apostles,[1] we also have a greater witness than any human testimony: the witness of God Himself.

•       The result of this faith: The confident assurance of eternal life.

 

Jesus came by water and blood, confirmed by the Spirit of Truth. While there are differing interpretations, here is how I understand it:

Water refers to the humanity of Christ. 

He was born as any man (though conceived miraculously) and submitted to the ordinances of man, including baptism, to fulfill all righteousness.

 

Blood points to the gospel of Christ. 

He accomplished what no man could. An innocent man, He died for the sins of all men, becoming their substitute and sacrifice. He was buried in their place and rose from the grave three days later for all men.

 

Spirit declares the deity of Christ. 

While the Apostles—especially Peter, Paul, and John—provided credible, verifiable, and trustworthy testimony, the witness of God’s Holy Spirit is even greater. The Spirit convicts us of the truth of Jesus Christ, and, once the gospel is trusted, bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God.

 

Those who have this witness within themselves know that the One in whom they have believed is alive and that He has given them eternal life.

 

#FaithInChrist #EternalLife #BiblicalTruth #OvercomeTheWorld #JesusIsLord

Jesus: The Truth Revealed by the Spirit

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[1] See 1 John 1:1-3

• What will you do with the testimony God has given about His Son?
• Trust the truth that Jesus is the Son of God who gives eternal life.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 John 5:6 (KJV) Jesus

1 John 4:3 (KJV) Recognizing and Rejecting Deception

1 John 4:3 (KJV)

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

 

There are at least three main themes found in this chapter:

•       Confessing Jesus

•       Loving Jesus

•       Loving those who love Jesus

 

But like so many things in the Bible, each of these themes is much deeper than the surface. Consider Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This verse is unequivocally true, but it doesn’t mean you can call in jest and be saved. It doesn’t mean you can call without faith and be saved. It doesn’t mean you can call while denying the gospel and be saved, etc.

 

There are many “spirits” in the world today willing to confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, but they still possess the spirit of Antichrist. So many, in fact, that I am willing to suggest this is a tactic of Antichrist, like his misrepresentation of God’s word to Eve. He’s willing to say what the Bible says but not mean what the Bible says. Remember, even the devils believe.

 

To confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, I submit, is to surrender to the entire body of truth the Bible teaches about Christ. To deny any aspect of Biblical teaching is to have the spirit of Antichrist. Therefore, to deny the creation account is a spirit of Antichrist, because Christ was involved in Creation. To add any good work to salvation is a spirit of Antichrist, because it diminishes the saving effectiveness of Christ.

 

This concept must also be applied to loving Jesus and loving those who love Jesus. It’s not just that we love Him, but that He first loved us. And it’s not that anyone who professes to love Christ is automatically to be loved as one who loves Christ,[1] but that we try their spirit before we love them as we would the brethren.

 

If we do not apply all the Word of God to all the teaching of the Word of God, we easily fall into the snares of the devil, and we risk breaking down the critical doctrines so essential to carrying the gospel to the next generation.

 

#ConfessingJesus #SpiritOfAntichrist #LoveJesus #BiblicalTruth #GuardTheDoctrine

Recognizing and Rejecting Deception: The Spirit of Antichrist

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[1] Though we are to love even the lost

• How do you ensure that your confession of Jesus Christ aligns with the full truth of Scripture?
• Share your thoughts on how you can guard against false teachings in the comments below.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 John 4:3 (KJV) Recognizing and Rejecting Deception

 

1 John 3:2 (KJV) The Blessed Hope of Every Believer

1 John 3:2 (KJV)

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 

We Shall Be Like Him 

 

A man recently accused me, as a Christian, of believing in absolutes. Apparently, the atheist has none. But that’s not true—they loudly claim there is no God. They loudly claim there is no afterlife. Even when some say those things “might” be true but that we cannot know for sure, they prefer to err on the side of no God and no afterlife.  

 

The Christian, however, errs on the other side because we know God. Note, I did not say we know God exists; I said we know God. That He exists is a given.  

 

Having said that, Christians freely confess there are many things we do not know:  

- We do not know the day or the hour the Lord will come.  

- We do not know whether we will be ushered into heaven through death or the rapture.  

- We do not know everything about heaven.  

- We do not know exactly what we shall be.  

 

Here’s what we do know:  

- We know He shall appear—this is our blessed hope.  

- We know we are saved and will be caught together with Him. 

- We know we shall see Him as He is.  

- We know we shall be like Him.  

 

I can’t tell you exactly what that means. I do not know. But I do know that the saved will be joint-heirs with Jesus, glorified with Jesus, and like Jesus.  

 

#WeShallBeLikeHim  #ChristianHope  #BlessedAssurance  #KnowingGod  #EternalPromises  

Seeing Him as He Is: The Blessed Hope of Every Believer

• Where do you find your hope for the future? 
• Is it in the promises of Christ, knowing that one day you will be like Him?

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 John 3:2 (KJV) The Blessed Hope of Every Believer

 

1 John 2:1 (KJV) Defining Sin

1 John 2:1 (KJV)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

 

The Apostle John was the penman of this epistle, but God the Holy Ghost is the author. I therefore submit that the author wrote all of the Word of God with these same three purposes in view.

 

To define sin. 

Human beings are awfully good at being our own gods, choosing for ourselves what we deem to be good and evil. And, as is the case with modern scientific “truths,” since we get to define them, we also get to change them. What was obviously known to be sin even 25 years ago is now accepted as normal, and today the sin would be to denounce those things. The Bible gives us a stable and unchanging standard. It is a rock upon which we can build a life of morality and decency because it is constant, predictable, and unmoving.

 

To command us not to sin. 

Knowing what sin is and refraining from it are two entirely different matters. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”[1] The Bible not only tells us what sin is and commands us not to commit it, but it also teaches us how to resist sin: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”[2]

 

To point us to our help when we do sin. 

We deceive ourselves if we say we have not sinned. The corrupt nature of fallen man is so prone to sin that even among the redeemed, the curse of sin—though dying—is not dead. But we need not fear, for we have an advocate. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

#BiblicalTruth #FaithfulLiving #PowerOfScripture #ResistTemptation #GodsUnchangingWord

Defining Sin: God’s Unchanging Standard

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[1] Romans 7:19 (KJV)

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

[2] Psalms 119:11 (KJV)

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

• How do you turn to God’s Word when facing temptation?
• Open your Bible today and discover the unchanging truths that define sin, guide your steps, and point you to the Saviour who forgives.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 John 2:1 (KJV)  Defining Sin