WHOEVER HAS THE SON HAS LIFE

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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Starting in AD 144, in the city of Rome, a son of a Christian Bishop started a religious movement that would grow far larger than the true Christian church and that would put incredible pressure on the people of God for over 200 years. 

Marcionites

This man was named Marcion and his Gnostic church was set up to be in direct opposition to the early Christians. As a gnostic, Marcion taught (amongst many other corrupt ideas) that Jesus of Nazareth could not have been a physical man. Like the Gnostics before him, Marcion taught that all physical material was linked to an evil power that must be overcome by purely spiritual means. 

The Marcionite Church was accepted as a part of the official collection of Roman religions and even provided with money from the government so that it might grow and one day replace the Christians. 

Marcion wrote his own version of the “Bible” and the Romans paid for its copying and distribution as it claimed to be a replacement for a corrupted Hebrew and Greek version of the scriptures. 

Tertullian

In his work, Against Marcion, the church Father Tertullian recorded the many points of evil heresy that these pseudo-Christians believed. Many of these ideas are still rampant in the anti-church rhetoric all around us today. 

Confidence

The reason I bring this bit of history up is that it illustrates just how important it is that we be able to speak with confidence about the one true God as presented in the message of the Christian Bible. 

There have been, and will always be, people who try and discount and discredit the truth by claiming that Jesus Christ was not fully man while being fully God. By confusing the uninformed, these modern Marcionites have led many away from the truth. 

Plea

In the following passage, which comes to us from the last chapter of the letter of the Apostle John, we can hear John’s fervent plea to all true Christians to hold fast to the truth about Jesus Christ.  

6 This is the one who came by water and blood —Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 

9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

(1 John 5:6-12 NIV)

Hold Fast

In this message, John is calling all Christian men and women to hold fast to the biblical truth that teaches us that:

1.   Jesus Christ was and is God, one with the Creator (John 1:1-4)
2.   Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God who entered into creation through human flesh (Luke 1:26-38)
3.   Jesus was a real flesh and blood man (Luke 24:39)
4.   Jesus died physical on the cross and was buried as a dead man. (John 19:33-35)
5.   Jesus was raised to life on the third day and live on in the presence of God (John 20:17)

Three 

When the Apostle John speaks of Jesus being confirmed by the witnesses of the Holy Spirit, the water (of baptism), and the blood (of the cross or the cup of communion), he is making it clear to all who might be tempted by those who would make Jesus out to be anything less than being fully God and fully human. 

Other Examples

In fact there are two passages that draw attention to those who were seeking to pervert the truth of the Gospel that are worth hearing in this context:

22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

(1 John 2:22-23 NIV11)

7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

(2 John 7 NIV11)

Astray

If we do not feed ourselves with the truth of God’s word, we too can find ourselves being led astray and leading others astray as well. Therefore we must be certain about the biblical Jesus. We must hold tight to the Immanuel, God with us, God in flesh. 

Reflection

As you go through this day, reflect on the meaning of this one line:

1 John 5:12 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 

Thank God that you have life because you are united to the one and only begotten Son of God. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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