Divinity of Christ (10)

2 John 1:9
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Notes

The first three sermons showed that Jesus is God through the writings of John. The fourth examined Paul’s witness to Christ’s divinity. The fifth drew from the book of Hebrews. The sixth sermon was from the letters of Peter. The seventh sermon highlighted the divinity of Christ as seen in the writings of Isaiah, the prophet. The eighth sermon proved that Christ is God based on the prophecies of Micah, Daniel, and Malachi. The ninth sermon reminded us to contend for the faith, just like the apostles and church fathers expressed through the Creeds, such as the Nicene, Chalcedonian, and Athanasian. This tenth sermon will highlight some of the significant Post-Reformation creeds.

John’s Pastoral Warning

2 John 1:9: Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does
not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

John, the apostle, wrote a pastoral letter addressed to a Sister and the believers who were with her. Others suggest that the elected lady was a symbol of a local church. The author reminded them to love one another and to beware of false teachings. Those who do not remain in the apostolic teachings about Christ do not have God. The apostles and many succeeding generations of believers remained faithful to the doctrines.

Post-Reformation Confessions

1. Many Lutherans, until today, uphold The Augsburg Confession (1530), which confirms the divine and human natures of Christ. Article 3 states, “There are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God, and true man.”

2. The Belgic Confession (1561). The confession declares that Christ is one in essence with the Father and that they are coeternal. Article 10: “So, then, he is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke, worship, and serve.”

3. Many reformed churches in the Netherlands adopted The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), which affirms the deity of Christ. It explains in question 16 that the mediator must be “a true and righteous man,” and in question 17, that the mediator must also be true God. Moreover, question 33 explains, “Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God.”

4. The Church of England affirms the deity of Christ through The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571). Article 2 states that the Son is “the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father.”

5. Many Presbyterian denominations adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), which affirms the deity of Christ. Chapter 8, Section 2 declares that Christ is “the second person of the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father.”

6. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), a reformed Baptist Confession, affirms the deity of Christ. Chapter 8, Paragraph 2 declares, “The Son of God, the second Person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, of one substance and equal with him.”

   Application:

   1. Believe in the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   2. Proclaim the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   3. Defend the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ

Reflection & Discussion

1. What was John’s intention in writing? (2 John 1:9)

2. What is the common theme of the cited excerpts from different creeds?

3. How may we remain in the teaching about Christ, and how do we help others remain?