The Doctrinal Test of Belief

What we believe about Jesus matters for eternity! We cannot afford to get it wrong!

The Doctrinal Test of Belief

"Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

(1 John 2:22-23)

I am currently preaching a series of messages on the book of 1 John titled, "The Way We Walk." John outlines some key principles that describe those who genuinely know and serve the Lord: they believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (the doctrinal test), they love one another (the social test), and they obey God (the moral test). These are the three tests John gives for true believers.

John Stott elaborates upon these three tests and calls them the doctrinal test of belief, the social test of love, and the moral test of obedience. All followers of Jesus in every generation will exhibit these three characteristics and pass these tests. Now, we will not always make a 100% grade on these spiritual tests, because no one but Jesus is perfect, but we will have a consistent pattern in our lives where we believe Jesus, love others, and obey God.

What we believe about Jesus matters for eternity! There are many beliefs about Jesus taught by very sincere religious people, but when these beliefs do not line up with the Scriptures, those who hold such beliefs are mistaken and sincerely wrong. Every cultic group and religion outside of biblical Christianity has heretical interpretations of who Jesus is. Mormons teach that Jesus was a spirit child of Elohim and brother of Satan; Jehovah Witnesses believe Jesus was the first created being, and Muslims teach that Jesus was only a good prophet. Again, all cults and false religions do not correctly believe in the Jesus of the Bible.

It was no different in the first century. The Early Church had to contend with a dangerous cultic group called the Gnostics. Leaders like Marcion and Cerinthus disagreed adamantly with what the Apostle John taught about who Jesus really was.

When I did a Google search on what first century Gnostics believed about Jesus, it replied with some very helpful information. For those who want to do a deeper dive into what Gnosticism entailed, you can view here the research I found. I will include it verbatim as this provides an excellent summary of Gnosticism:

Click Here for More on Gnosticism

Jesus is not the brother of Satan, a created being, or only a prophet. He is the eternal God who came to earth in the person of Jesus; He is the second person of the triune God who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead. He alone is able to save our souls and take us to heaven.