Thursday
1 John 4:4-6

John’s writings help people discern the difference between truly following Christ, versus those who “claim to know him,” but really are against him. One of the false movements John called out was “Gnosticism” because it centered on false teaching about Jesus. Gnostics did not believe in either the true deity or actual humanity of Jesus.

When I hear the word “anti-Christ,” images from Revelation come to mind and sometimes that creates fear in me. However, John spent time teaching Christians to know they are saved because of their actions of love, their obedience to God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. These Christians did not have to fear the antichrists. The same is true for us today. We do not have to be afraid of those—like the Gnostics—who contradict Jesus. It is our responsibility to pursue ALL people in boldness because of the Spirit of God living in us.