Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 2:15-29
The life of a Christian is a life lived in tension which resides in the fact that the presence of sin has not yet been eliminated completely. We have the ability to resist temptation, but at the same time we will not do so perfectly. John warns his readers, in verse 15, not to take their salvation for granted by loving the world. The “world” John speaks of is the world system that sets itself up in opposition to the things of God. As Christians, we are to love the created order and other human beings, but we are not to love the world system that sets itself up in opposition to God. We do not withdraw from society, but we must not love the evil world system. These things include desires of the eyes and the flesh and taking pride in possessions (v. 16). We are to care for other human beings who are in bondage to lust, materialism, personal power, and the host of other things that oppose the will of God. However, we are to make sure our hearts are never set on what is loved by the world, lest we become opposed to God ourselves. In verse 18, John writes about antichrists and the last hour. Almost from the beginning, apostasy has infected the church for there have been those in every age who profess their faith without possessing their faith. Falling away from one’s faith is the definition of apostasy. Let us look at two questions about apostasy. 1-Is the falling away temporary or final? We may know people who apparently never returned to Christ, but, most of us, also, have known people who were restored to faith after falling away for a season. Peter is an example of the latter. 2-Is the person who seems to have fallen permanently someone who possessed faith or who only professed faith? Many people claim to be saved without really being one of the Lord’s people. Those who fall away and never return were never believers therefore, not having salvation to lose, as some claim. As humans, we cannot see the heart of another human for that is where God sees the true Christian. At Jesus’ return there will likely be some surprises when we see who really trusted Him and who did not (Matthew 7:21–23). Christians are often quick to protest rampant immorality, and rightly so. But, sometimes it is easy for us to become overly eager to possess certain things and make wealth an idol. Ask the Lord to guard you against materialism and seek friends to help you be accountable for how you use your resources. We cannot assume that those who now repudiate the faith they once professed have actually left the fold permanently. This means that we should pray for those who appear to be apostate, asking the Lord to work in their hearts and bring them back to Himself. Consider today those in your life who seem to have repudiated Jesus and pray that they would yet return to the faith they once professed.
Source: S C Ball October 7, 2023
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