Beware! Fellowship will be assaulted by antichrists!
Fellowship centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ. If Jesus does not come, die, rise, ascend to Father, send the Spirit, and actively shepherd his people we do not exist as a fellowship and we can’t have life together under the word!
Fellowship can be killed by removing the centrality of Jesus. Key to maintaining the centrality of Jesus is biblical authority. Biblical authority is central to Christianity. If we remove scripture as the manual, the blue print for life being restored from the fall, then we have no more basis for saying what Christianity is and who is in the fellowship.
Biblical authority leads to the centrality of Jesus.
As we have talked about “fellowship: Life together under the word” we need to understand that attack against fellowship may start with questioning biblical authority and inerrancy because then, and only then, can enemies of the Gospel question Jesus and his teaching. If we set aside Jesus and his teaching as possibly in error or culturally behind the evolutionary curve then we no longer have any basis for determining what fellowship is and who we are in deep spiritual communion with.
“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” – 1 John 1:3
Our fellowship is constructed on Jesus. John proclaimed the Gospel to the people and that is the basis for their fellowship and ours. Some had abandoned Jesus as proclaimed for some greater spiritual knowledge and shipwrecked their faith. John writes to encourage the faithful to the Gospel to stay faithful and remind them of who they are and what they must hold on to. Remove the Gospel and remove the authority of what contains the Gospel message and we don’t have fellowship.
1 John 2:18 warns of antichrist and many antichrists because Jesus Christ is central.
The bible does not name the chief enemy of the Gospel “antigod” or “antispirit”.
The bible names the chief enemy of the Gospel “antichrist”. Why? Because the bible teaches us that the only way we can know and glorify God the Father is through Jesus Christ the Son and the only way we can be brought to the Son is through the Holy Spirit applying the Gospel in salvation and then constantly counseling us, guiding us and empowering us to live in Jesus by abiding in Jesus and empowering us to do Gospel work with all the graces to build the body of Christ into the head of Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd.
Biblical authority is central to exalting Jesus, the Head of the church and Chief Shepherd, and being in fellowship.
So, as we study 1 John and fellowship remember that the bible, the manual, is the source for keeping Jesus front and center and that only in Jesus do we have fellowship.
All hail the power of Jesus’ name let angels prostrate fall! Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all!
