Well let's go back then. John is confident that they are true Christians because they know the truth and because they are not deceived because they understand that something cannot be true and what contradicts it also true. This is very affirming and securing. How can you tell a true Christian? They are not deceived, first of all. They are not deceived. Secondly, they accept the true faith. And thirdly, they abide faithful...they abide faithful.
In verse 27 we'll make a transition there, he says, "The anointing which you've received from Him," that is the Holy Spirit from Christ, "abides in you. You have no need for anyone to teach you, His anointing teaches you about all things, is true and not a lie." There's that same law of non-contradiction. "And just as it is taught you, you abide in Him." So there we find that third element, you abide in Him. You stay faithful. You are not deceived. You accept the faith and you remain faithful.
Boy, this anointing is amazing, just a footnote about that. It proceeds from Christ, it is internal, it abides in you, it is permanent. Jesus said in John 14:16, "The Holy Spirit will abide with you forever." It is sufficient, "You need not that any man should teach you." It is edifying, it is the same anointing that teaches you all things. It is genuine. It is true and is no lie...that is, the Bible does not mix truth and error, the Holy Spirit does not mingle truth with error. So God has endowed us through Christ with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us permanently to teach us everything we need to know as we study the Word of God of which He is the author. He leads us into all truth, never a lie. What an amazing promise. And this Holy Spirit assures, as we see at the end of verse 27, that we will abide in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our redemption. Remember that in Ephesians 1? We are sealed with the Spirit of promise. This is permanent. This is the gift that God has given us, the truth and the anointing through the Holy Spirit.
So we're not dependent on human wisdom because we have a divine source of truth and a divine resident teacher. And because of that sealing, we abide. He abides forever. We abide in the truth. And we're back to that idea that we don't defect. And that's the final point, the true believers are not deceived, accept the faith and abide faithful. Verses 24 and 25, "As for you, let that abide in you which you've heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise which He Himself made to us, eternal life."
John says you have the truth, you have the Spirit. He says let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. Stick with the truth. Stick with the truth. And if you do stick with the truth, then you're going to stay with the Son and with the Father and go into eternal life. Stick with the gospel. John wrote this about 40 years after the people first heard the gospel. And he said, "I know you've been exposed to a lot of things. You've been exposed to a lot of influences, stick with the truth. Stick with the truth. Remain, abide, continue, holding to that truth." There's a human responsibility here, you can't just say, "Oh well, God's going to make sure I stay in there and hang in there and I don't need to worry about it." No, you need to persevere. You are eternally secure but you persevere in faith. You have the truth and the truth teacher and the promise that you will abide and remain because your salvation is eternal. But that doesn't mean you can be irresponsible. And so, John says, "As for you, hold on, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. Stick with the truth." Boy, you want to say that so often to people who go off to educational institutions, go off to seminaries, get their faith ripped and shredded. Stick with the truth. Truth is still the truth, isn't it? Still the truth. "Stay with the truth. If you continue in My Word, you're My real disciple," John 8:31. "You have truly been redeemed," the apostle Paul told the Colossians, "if you remain faithful, if you stay." He puts it this way, "If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the gospel." True Christians will do that, they'll hang on to the truth. But not without sanctified, Spirit-empowered effort. And that's how we demonstrate that we are the people of the promise of verse 25, "This is the promise which He Himself made to us, eternal life." Eternal life.
There you have it. John's contrast...antichrists, they depart, they deny, they deceive. True Christians, they aren't deceived, they affirm the faith, and they remain faithful. And that's the difference. And the question then is, "Which are you? Which are you?" Time may tell, but you know now and now is the time to be sure you're a Christian and not an antichrist masquerading because if you're not with Me, Jesus said, you're...what?...you're against Me.
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