Yesterday, we said that there are two weapons the Christian has against heresy. This first one is the word which they had heard. This would refer either to the Gospel or to basic apostolic teaching. In a broader and fuller sense, this word would include the entire Word of God.
By itself the apostolic teaching is not enough to keep Christians in the truth, however important and indispensable it may be. For the Gnostics had also heard the truth and yet had departed from it.
The other element—the second weapon—which his readers have and the false teachers do not have, is the Holy Spirit who indeed teaches the Christian by making the Word come alive for him and who abides in him. In these verses John touches upon one aspect of that which became known at the time of the Reformation as the priesthood of all believers or, from the other side, the perspicuity of the Word. It is the truth that the believer in Christ is not dependent upon a higher order of churchman, whether priest or Gnostic, to interpret the Word of God for him. Rather, through the indwelling Spirit he has the means of understanding the Word for himself and of using what he finds there to combat heresy.
When John says that the Christians of his day “need not that any man should teach [them],” the statement must be understood in its context. It does not mean, for instance, that there is no value at all in teaching or that there is no such thing as a teaching ministry in the church. What is John himself doing if he is not “teaching” his readers? It only means that any valid and therefore useful teaching of the Lord’s people must be done by those who are themselves among the Lord’s people and that, if Christians are confronted by the false teaching of unbelievers, they have within themselves the means of exploring the Scriptures and thus dividing truth from error. In knowing the truth they can remain firm.
The obvious conclusion of this section is for those who are not yet Christians. These must know that they will find a solid basis for the living of their lives only in the truth concerning Jesus. But there are lessons for Christians too.
First, Christians must learn that questions concerning truth matter. Unfortunately there is a tendency in some Christian circles to minimize thought and to substitute for it either ethical demands, sometimes conceived quite legalistically, or subjective experiences, such as so-called “second blessings” or “tongues” or the mere obligation to “love.” Not all of these substitute items are bad, of course. In fact, the tests of life, which John is giving, include the test of obedience and the test of love. But in addition to these there is also the very important test of truth, and it is so important that John can even declare that those who do not hold to the truth concerning Jesus are of antichrist. Truth, as it is contained in the Scriptures and as it is revealed in Jesus Christ, is an objective standard. It provides a basis for making judgments, and it reveals error. Consequently, Christians should be concerned with truth, should seek to understand it with increasing fullness, and should proclaim it to the world.
Second, there is the matter of Christian responsibility where truth is concerned. It is true that believers have an “anointing” and have no need that anyone should “teach” them. But this may not be construed as an excuse for failing to remain in the truth by conscious effort and continuing determination. Christians are to allow the Word to abide in them increasingly. The Holy Spirit also abides in them, but they are also to abide in Him or Christ.
Third, there are the means by which every Christian should achieve victory over error in life: the Word of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Both are necessary. Without the Spirit, knowledge of the Word becomes but a bitter orthodoxy. Without the Word, the experience of the Spirit can lead to the most unjustified and damaging of excesses. The only safeguard against either and therefore the only sure defense against heresy is to have abiding within us, both the Word from which we learn and the Holy Spirit who teaches it to us.