The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 34

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34 The Latheran Pioneer,

An Admonition to Abide in Christ.
JOHN 2, 24—28.

The Apostle had in the preceding verses raised
his voice against the many antichrists who had made
their appearance even in those early days. Because

of their denial of Jesus’ being the Christ, he had .

branded, them as liars who denied both the Son
and the Father; for only in Christ is the Father
revealed to us. He then proceeds: ‘Let that, there-
fore, abide in you which ye have heard from the
beginning.” He exhorts his readers to adhere con-
tinually to the truth of the Gospel concerning Christ,
His person and work, as they had heard and accepted
this truth when they first had become converted.
Then, there would be no danger of their falling away
(v. 24) in spite of the great skill, shrewdness, and
untiring efforts of the antichrists that sought to
seduce them and had perhaps succeeded in leading
some Christians astray (v.26). The thing to do
was to see to it that Christ’s truth remained in
them inviolate. ‘This, of course, meant that. they
should continually hear, read, and meditate on the
unadulterated Bible-truth which they had heard
from the Apostles or their fellow-laborers from the
beginning. It is self-evident that they-should like-
wise regularly partake of the Sacrament and use
God’s Word in prayer. Then faith would constantly
dwell in their hearts. The Anointing would then
abide in them. The Anointing (or Unction, v. 20)
is the Holy Ghost. This Oil of Gladness is the gift
of Christ, who is altogether holy and from whom the
Spirit proceeds from eternity. The Holy Ghost
would then not depart from them, but abide in
them, daily filling them with a heartfelt desire to
use, to search the Scriptures. Hence they would
be continually taught by God Himself, and have
no need that any man should teach them (vy. 27a).
Thus Isaiah, addressing Zion, prophesies concerning
the believers of the New Testament: “All thy chil-
dren shall be taught of the Lord.” Jeremiah makes
a similar statement: “They shall teach no more
every man his neighbor and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know Me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more.” By the
words, “Ye need not that any man teach you,” John
does not mean to say that such as are anointed with
the Spirit are no longer in need of Christian min-
isters and teachers. On the contrary, they realize
the necessity of being continually taught. The
Spirit, too, fills them with a longing to hear God’s

Word expounded, and to read the Bible and such
Christian books as explain and apply it correctly.
By such hearing and reading we receive the Unction
again and again, and receive it more abundantly.
The Spirit leads us to say with the Psalmist:
“T will compass Thine altar, O Lord; I have loved
the habitation of Thy house”; hut I loathe all
false doctrine and avoid all deceitful teachers whose
words are not in harmony with the Book. Anoint-

ing a person with oil in the Old Tesiament signified .

that he was separated from what was common and
impure, and dedicated to God and His service.
Thus it is a property of the Holy Ghost to separate
us from sin and lie. — Christians that follow the
leadings of the Spirit are continually furthered in
their knowledge of the truth. They keep on study-
ing the salutary truths, and ever learn to embrace
them more fully by faith. Hence they need not
that any man should teach them something new
and strange, something beside the doctrine which
they know and wherein they grow, much less some-
thing differing from it. -As no second revelation
is necessary to us, so no new teacher is needed.
“And the Anointing is truth and is no lie.” Com-
pare v.21: “No lie is of the truth.” ‘Truth and
lie antagonize each other. The lying prophets shall
therefore not be able to deceive and seduce those
that are led by the Spirit of Truth, for they are
endowed with spiritual discernment.

John tells the Christians in y. 24 that if the
truth will thus abide in them, they will assuredly
continue in the Son and in the Father; for Christ
is the door that leadeth to the Father. What
a glorious thing it is to abide in Christ by faith!
How honorable for Christians to be members cf
their exalted Head, the Lord of Glory, who sits
at God’s right hand, governing anc protecting His
Church! What a glorious thing, also, to remain
in the Father as the elect, holy; and beloved children
of the great, rich, almighty God, the Maker, Pre-
server, and Ruler of heaven and earth! How great
is the dignity of being sons and caughters of the
King of kings and Lord of lords!

And the end which is in store for the Christians

that remain faithful is eternal life; for Christ has
expressly and often promised it to us. (See John 3,
15.16.36; 5, 24; 6,40. 47. 54, ete.)

John closes his admonition, which is always very
timely and to be heeded by us, with the expressive
words of v.28: “And now, little children, abide
in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have
confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His
coming.” 11. OstERHUS.