Christmas draws our focus to the manger—the baby, the shepherds, the wise men. But have you ever looked deeper, past Bethlehem to see the whole story? The eternal Lord of glory didn’t cling to His rights or status; instead, He laid aside His privilege and became a servant, subjecting himself to mockery, torture, and eventually the shame of the cross. But the Christmas story doesn’t end in humiliation. Christ was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in glory; and one day, every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all!
Authentic Christianity
The early church faced persecution from its inception, but after a few decades, a new enemy appeared that was even more deadly. False teachers arose from within their own ranks and began to destroy the church from the inside. John wrote this letter to give clear ways to distinguish false doctrine from authentic Christianity. Does your life show evidence of these marks of a genuine believer?
