Some people said that they knew God. But they denied the Son. Therefore, they have neither the *Father nor the Son. We know God only by the *Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not accept Jesus as the Son of God, we cannot know God the Father.

Real Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They know the Son, so they know the *Father also. By the Son, they relate to God as his children. God is their father.

Verse 24

Do not accept any message that tries to change the *gospel

The readers of this letter need to guard the truth. They first learned the truth when they heard the *gospel. The *gospel is the truth because it is about Jesus Christ. He is the truth. What the *gospel teaches came from Christ himself. John’s readers heard the *gospel from the *apostles. So John’s readers heard the *gospel from those who had first believed it.

They knew the truth about the *Father and the Son. They believed that Jesus is the *Christ. When they believed these things, their Christian lives began. They must be sure that they do not lose that truth.

It is not enough merely to hear the *gospel. The truth must be present and active in our lives. What we believe must affect our lives.

As we believe the truth, we will be united with the *Lord. We will live with the Son and with the *Father. The truth is in us. We are in the Son and in the *Father.

John mentions the Son first. This shows how we can know the *Father. We can know the *Father only by the Son.

Continues after advertising
Continues after advertising