"Out of us they went, but rather they were not out of us. For if they were out of us they would have remained with us. But rather in order that should be revealed that they are not all out of us."
-Some of these antichrists, these ones who are opposing Christ and us, they used to be one of us. They used to name the name of Jesus! They used to (say they) believe, they actually (looked like they) were trusting in Jesus. And now they are not only no longer with us, they are against us, and against our Savior! How can this be?
-We're talking about betrayal. It's as old as the first family. Cain and Abel. And tragically, hasn’t betrayal in all its forms become so widespread as to create a pervasive crisis of trust in our day and age? Divorce is epidemic, the faithful are fickle, and corruption runs rampant. People and leaders and corporations and governments all say one thing and do another, hiding their transgressions and subterfuge behind a veil of lies and machiavellian excuses in a pitiful pursuit of profit and power and image management. People we trusted, who we should be able to trust, letting us down. Creating a generation of wounded, disappointed hero-less cynics who trust nobody, unable to trust even...?
-And in this verse we have the ultimate betrayal. Those who were our friends, our family even, have not only gone away from us, they are now opposing us! They were one of us! How could this happen? Perhaps you have felt the sting of deep personal betrayal. Someone you loved, who professed love for you, who belonged to your family or group. Perhaps a spouse even. They said they loved you. They made a promise before God and witnesses! They went through the motions of devotion, of belonging. They appeared to care, to belong. And then they went away in their heart and left altogether. And they turned on you. Betrayal. Stabbed in the back. Double-crossing liars, is what they are. You feel misled, deceived. The ultimate deception. Your trust is shredded, it was misplaced. How could anyone do this?
-You know, Jesus Himself was betrayed - one of those He loved, who He Himself chose, who He taught, a close friend and member of His inner circle - Judas not only left the group, he was the one who deliberately and with malice and forethought carried out the plan to hand his Friend over to His enemies. He blew up the group! And he did it for money. This person who betrayed you, who dealt you a wound like no other, so deep - they didn’t just leave. Now they are opposing you! They are your enemy. The world doesn’t make any sense - how could anyone do this to another person - much less one who names the Name of Jesus? Jesus knows the depth of betrayal. So does our heavenly Father. Did not the first parents - who He had made and so wonderfully blessed - throw Him over for a piece of fruit? Did not a legion of His angelic messengers abandon Him and choose to reign in hell? John knows the feeling too, no doubt. And what he says is that in the case of those who left the family of God and who are now opposing us, they were never one of us. They were never really saved. Anyone can name the Name of Jesus - but it is the one whose faith endures to the end who is really saved. It is a LONG obedience. It is a faith which does NOT fizzle before the finish. How can you tell if a person is really saved? Watch ‘em, and wait, and see if they finish the race...
-John softens the blow thus. They were never of us, he says. It’s not like they were ever really in. They were never really saved, had never truly trusted in Jesus. Like the son of perdition, Judas Iscariot. He was never fully converted in his heart. Sooner or later, the Lord of the harvest is faithful to cull out the tares from the wheat, to expose the ones who are not really part of His flock..
-But what we have then is an opportunity for compassion. What if by God’s grace we manage lift our eyes, to wrench them off ourselves, our feelings of disappointment and betrayal and consider the state of this one who wounded us, the state of their soul which is so deceived that they would have spent that kind of time in the family and never embraced the truth in the core of their being? And now they are standing in opposition to the truth? They need our prayers. That person you have in mind - they need your prayers... And you know what, God will use the very fact of you praying for them to change - and heal - your heart. Give it a try...
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