1 John 2:24–29

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

Here John reviews this whole unit, which is all about preventing his readers from being led astray by false teachers.

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. Watch out; don’t be deceived.

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. Abide means dwell. You have the truth dwelling in you. Remember your original instruction, so that you’re not led astray by “new” ideas.

If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. What you heard from the beginning are the words of life. Hang on to that.

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; The anointing you received is sufficient; don’t let anyone tell you that you need anything else.

And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

Just stick to Jesus.

I often wonder how some of these nutty heresies got started. The gospel is simple; why would people want to make it complicated?

But I can see the roots of their errant ways in my own heart. I’m always trying to puzzle through the mysteries. This can lead to some pretty creative “solutions.” The potential for error is huge.

But thanks to Gutenberg, and the internet, I can tap into the collective wisdom of centuries of saints—often to discover that I’ve gotten way off track. Thus, almost half of what I write gets tossed.

But back then, folks didn’t have that blessing\, which made them easy targets for the Antichrist.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.