Lesson 5

 

2 John 7

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

 

Related Scriptures

Matthew 7:15-20

Matthew 24:4-5

Ephesians 4:14

Titus 1:10-16

1 John 3:7

1 John 4:1-4

Jude 4-19 (Jude only has one chapter.)

 

Background Information

In Titus 1:10-16, God, through Paul, warns specifically of false teachers from the Jewish community. This warning should not be taken as license for speaking evil of Jews. Jesus is a Jew. Paul himself was not only Jewish but also belonged to the most conservative group within the Judaism of his day. This Scripture rises from problems that were occurring in the early church when people of Jewish persuasion tried to persuade others to change from trusting in Jesus Christ to keeping rituals and rules as a means of being right with God. The entire book of Galatians is devoted to this challenge. Romans chapters 9-11 show clearly that God still loves the Jewish people and that they still have a special place in His plan. Even today, we face the temptation to leave a simple Christian faith for a works-oriented religion. This temptation almost always comes from sources that are not Jewish, but we can learn much about how God wants us to deal with this temptation by studying such Scriptures as Titus 1:10-16.

 

Questions

1. We know that God saves everyone who trusts in Jesus. Yet, the Scriptures warn that false teachers who claim to be Christians but aren’t will try to lead us astray. How does the Bible say we will be able to identify these people?
2. There are signs that will help us to know whether a Christian teacher is really a man of God or not. From the text and related Scriptures: a) What are some signs of a true servant of God? b) What are some signs of a phony?
3. What should be our response to someone who denies that Jesus, who is God, came in the flesh, that is, became a human being?
4. Verse 7 begins with the word “For”. This is looking back to the previous words. a) What two characteristics of true Christians are talked about in verses 1-6? b) How do these two characteristics relate to the character of deceivers?