What Is The Gospel? (Part 3)

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:22–23, ESV)

This, according to some fundamentalist Baptists, means that Jewish people worship a different God than Christians.  

By way of reply…

No, it only proves that Judaism is in error about the nature of God as a triune spirit & also errs relative to the identity of Jesus Christ.     

If the assertion that Judaism’s concept of God is in error means that they are not I AM worshippers based upon this particular text, then that means that intellectual belief that God is triune & the correct doctrinal content relative to Christology is an absolute requirement for a person to be justified & regenerate. 

In Part 2, we will examine 1 John itself.  Does it corroborate the statement that if someone is in theological error about the Trinity & / or the facts about Christ’s person and work they are unsaved &/or worship a different God? 

In context, John is not writing to us about ordinary people who are in theological error out of ignorance or even rejection of these truths for moral reasons in a generalized sense.   Rather, John is describing false teachers of the Docetic variety in particular & the spirit of Antichrist in general.  

One of 1 John’s major focuses in on the nature of assurance.  

By this we know that someone has passed from death to life: 

2:29 b "everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him."

and 

5:1 a "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."

Literally 

Every one practicing righteousness has been born of Him (God)

Every one believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God (Him).

One of the major tests is doctrinal.  The other is ethical. 

The Docetics, like Antichrists are described as liars.    Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:4, ESV)

They also reject Yeshua’s person & work: 

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.  (1 John 2:22–23, ESV)

These texts agree with RBC Howell’s definition of apostasy.  Apostasy involves a 3fold test:  Loss of spirituality of mind, gradual (and/or radical) moral declension, & rejection of the gospel (in favor of laboring under their own strength in a spirit of works righteousness). 

Within the trajectory of 1 John, the author writes about what it means to walk in the light.   It means the rejection of hypocrisy in favor of admitting that oneself is flawed & is able to sin absent a monergistic act of special restraint emanating from the LORD or His outright permanent removal of one’s ability to sin. 

 

It means loving God first, as exhaustively & perfectly as possible & your neighbor second (also exhaustively & perfectly), & only then oneself.  

The spirit of antichrist manifests as hatred.   The spirit of Christ & Christlikeness manifests as love. 

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.  (1 John 2:9–11, ESV)

The spirit of Antichrist loves the world system:  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.  (1 John 2:15–17, ESV)

The spirit of Christ & Christlikeness does not love the world system.    

 

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:22–23, ESV)

 

These words are part of a larger description of the spirit of Antichrist.   In order for the assertion that Jewish people (or anyone) who rejects what we call orthodox, evangelical Christology &/or the Trinity are not simply in error but are flat out not worshipping the I AM THAT I AM to be true, since John connects this rejection to the spirit of Antichrist,  all of these evils must be present in order for that to be true.   

In other words, the test for the spirit of Antichrist is similar to the test for apostasy.    Both are defined by the presence of more than one condition.   If all of them are not present, then what we have is something like theological error. 

Definitional to whether or not someone is regenerate isn’t belief in a set of facts about the nature of God & / or who Yeshua is.   Anybody can believe & / or confess a set of facts.    Only the regenerate can lay down his or her (their) rooted works righteousness.   If they have done so, then they have given God a saving profession of faith.   

A saving profession of faith is not a credible profession faith. 

In Reformed theology, we draw a distinction between a credible profession of faith and a saving profession of faith. For purposes of church membership, since we cannot know of a certainty who is or isn't saved, we only require a credible profession of faith.

A Catholic qua Catholic cannot offer a credible profession of faith. But whether a Catholic can offer a saving profession of faith is a different question. The answer varies on a case-by-case basis. It is easier to say who isn't saved than to say who is.

http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2005/04/leaky-buckets-redux.html

***END-QUOTE

A “credible profession of faith” is a traditional term of art in Reformed circles.

To illustrate my point, any of the following creeds could supply the basis for a credible profession of faith:

1. The Thirty-Nine Articles

2. The Formula of Concord

3. The Baptist Faith & Message (http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp)

4. The C&MA statement of faith (http://www.cmalliance.org/whoweare/doctrine.jsp)

5. The JFJ statement of faith (http://www.jewsforjesus.org/about/statementoffaith)

6. The EFCA statement of faith (http://www.efca.org/about/doctrine/)

7. The Campus Crusade statement of faith (http://www.ccci.org/statement_of_faith.html)

8. The AG statement of faith (http://www.ag.org/top/beliefs/truths.cfm)

These are all broadly evangelical affirmations of faith. By contrast, Trent or Vatican II does not supply the basis for a credible profession of faith.  

Remember, too, that Trent anathematizes Protestantism, so it’s not as though Trent is being any more tolerant or charitable than I am.

Still, it is possible for a Catholic to be saved, as well as a Muslim or Mormon or other suchlike.   Hence, it is possible for a Catholic to make a saving profession of faith even if he can’t make a credible profession of faith.  A Mormon or Muslim fits into the same category.   Why?  Anybody’s theology can be incorrect & is reparable in heaven — only the regenerate can lay down their rooted works righteousness, & that is a private affair between God & the individual.