30Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20: 30-31
John's is the 4th Gospel, bearing his name as with the other gospels. He was also the author of the epistles 1-3 John and the book of Revelation. I have really been excited about this study because John's gospel is probably the heaviest theologically, answering life's most important question, the whole thrust of the Old Testament, who is Jesus? We have seen Jesus as the Savior in all the books, but especially in Luke. We have seen his humanity in all the gospels, and in Matthew we saw His great claim to the throne as well. In each of the writers we are faced with what has been the most perplexing of propositions for some, that of His deity. John brings home this doctrine beautifully along with the most teaching on the Holy Spirit. How significant is that, you ask, well, what has God said through His prophets? How important is it to know the One behind the name? Are there others who go by that name that aren't Him, counterfeits?
…2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily.… 2 Corinthians 11: 2-4
Every preacher and every teacher who is faithful, every church, every ministry that is faithful presents the full and accurate truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. That is a benchmark. That is a litmus test of integrity in a preacher and in a ministry. That is the validation. I would say it this way: Devotion to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is the benchmark of legitimacy in any preacher and any ministry. If there is any diminishing of Christ or deviation from the true Christ, there is a serious violation of the purpose of God in revealing Scripture - Old Testament and New Testament.
Any and every legitimate preacher, legitimate church, legitimate ministry must be committed to the truth about Christ, to the glory and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, being relentlessly biblical to understand the full revelation concerning Christ. The single source of the truth about Christ is the Bible. And if the theme of the Bible is Christ and the purpose of revealing Christ is so that we may see the fullness of His glory, then legitimacy is tied inextricably to a consuming pre-occupation with knowing all that has been revealed about Christ, to understand His full glory with a view to worshiping Him, honoring Him, and loving Him.
In fact, you can tie the two together. The degree of emphasis on the Bible in any preacher’s ministry, in any church, in any organization, the degree of emphasis on the Bible is equal to the commitment to the glory of the Son of God. If there is a diminished interest in the Bible, there is a diminished interest in the One the Bible reveals. If there is, on the other hand, an elevated preoccupation with the Bible, there will be an elevated pre-occupation with Christ, who is the theme. Those two are in direct proportion to one another.
A preacher’s love for Christ will show up in His commitment to the Word of God, which reveals Christ. A church’s love for Christ will show up in their devotion to the revelation concerning Christ. They are, again I say, in direct proportion. Where there is a consuming love for Christ, there will be a concurrent consuming love for Scripture. - J Mac
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1: 6-10
John's gospel differs from the synoptic gospels in that it is from the perspective of Heaven. In Matthew, Mark and Luke we have historical gospels, gospels that follow Christ's steps through Galilee, and here we have His ministry in Judea, but also the logic that distills from the other gospels the doctrines of Who Christ is. In Isaiah we have the prophetic gospel, in Matthew we have His lineage as the Branch from David, and in John our jaws drop and hit the floor for we behold Him as very God. It was there all along the way, from Genesis to here, but like John, "the disciple who Jesus loved", we are now in the gospel of wonder and awe. Don't be deceived, my opinion doesn't matter, my passion neither, nor my excitement, God has spoken through His Word, and revealed both the life and nature of Jesus Christ, so we should approach with great reverence, seeking the Author's intent. Many false Christs and teachers have gone out into the world and they belong to the spirit of antichrist, presenting the name, the terms, but a different substance. They make a different Jesus who plays down sin, who only saves from the penalty, but never calls for repentance. They play down the distinction as well, as though it doesn't matter, like they are all the same, "inclusive". I hope you receive the grace to know and see that this simply isn't the case.
Now, all false religions - listen - all false religions reject the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. They all do. That’s what constitutes them as false religions to start with. From Islam to Mormonism, if you want to go from something that is non-Christian to something that calls itself Christian, they all reject the true Christ. But they all honor a false Christ.
Let me show you by contrast what I mean. We tell the truth about false teachers. We say Muhammad was a demon-possessed man, an agent of hell to unleash lies, perversion, and slaughter on the world. We give no credence, no credibility, no honor to Muhammad. But the Muslims honor Jesus. They call Him a prophet, a true prophet. Why is that? Because that’s the subtlety of Satan. That’s the subtlety of Satan, to go against Christ by misrepresentation.
For example, the Christ of Mormonism. The Jesus of Mormonism is a created being who is the spirit brother of Adam and Lucifer, created by a god who was created by another god. And we say the Jesus of Mormonism is not the true Jesus, a false Jesus, while Mormons affirm that they believe in the Jesus that we believe in. It has always been Satan’s anti-Christ strategy to affirm the wrong Christ, the wrong Jesus, and thus to subtly deceive people, redefining Jesus. It’s been very effective.
It is the spirit of antichrist, then, to give honor to a false Jesus - and that is deadly. It has found its way, amazingly, into evangelicalism. You know, I’m always shocked by what people believe who call themselves Christians. But I continue to realize that they are under the sway of the great deceiver, Satan himself, and the spirit of anti-Christ that he projects into the world when they are satisfied to believe in a false Jesus.
Turn to 2 John. That’s that epistle that focuses on this danger of having a false Jesus. Verses 7 to 11, 2 John. Let me read in verse 7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world.” Not a few - many. They are deceivers who have gone out into the world, “Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” They don’t acknowledge the truth concerning Jesus Christ. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. It’s not that they attack Christ, it’s not that they deny Christ, they create a false Christ. So watch yourselves - watch yourselves - your reward, your eternal reward, is at stake, verse 8.
Then verse 9, “Anyone who goes too far doesn’t abide in the true teaching concerning Christ - doesn’t have God.” If your Christology is aberrant, you’re not a messenger from God, you don’t have God, you’re not a believer, you’re not saved. Verse 9, “The one who abides in His teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” When somebody has an accurate Christology, they have both the Father and the Son. When somebody has an aberrant Christology, they have neither the Father nor the Son.
If somebody comes to you, verse 10, and doesn’t bring the true teaching concerning Christ, don’t let him into your house, don’t give him a greeting, or you’ll be a participant in his evil deeds. Stop him cold in his tracks. Don’t expose yourself to a deceptive, lying Christology.
We must get it right about Christ. Salvation comes by believing in Christ. That’s John’s whole point in this gospel, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, have life in His name. The spirit of anti-Christ gives honor to a false Jesus, which is an attack on His nature. When Jesus said, in Matthew 16:13, “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” He asked the foundational question: Who is Jesus Christ? That’s the question. - J Mac
John and James, his older brother (Acts 12:2), were known as “the sons of Zebedee” (Matt. 10:2–4), and Jesus gave them the name “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). John was an apostle (Luke 6:12–16) and one of the 3 most intimate associates of Jesus (along with Peter and James—cf. Matt. 17:1; 26:37), being an eyewitness to and participant in Jesus’ earthly ministry (1 John 1:1–4). After Christ’s ascension, John became a “pillar” in the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9). He ministered with Peter (Acts 3:1; 4:13; 8:14) until he went to Ephesus (tradition says before the destruction of Jerusalem), from where he wrote this gospel and from where the Romans exiled him to Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Besides the gospel that bears his name, John also authored 1–3 John and the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:1).
Because the writings of some church fathers indicate that John was actively writing in his old age and that he was already aware of the synoptic gospels, many date the gospel sometime after their composition, but prior to John’s writing of 1–3 John or Revelation. John wrote his gospel ca. A.D. 80–90, about 50 years after he witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry. - From Intro to John in Macarthur Study Bible
…22The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant. 23One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. 24So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about.… John 13: 22-24
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