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Here is no mincing of matters. The apostle of love calls all men by a plain term who
deny the scriptural truth of universal sin. But let not the believer, who does acknowledge
the doctrine of Gen. 3: and Rom. 3: & 5:, plume himself on mere assent to truth, for
the apostle, still pursuing the theme of mere affirmation, writes:--
"He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a LIAR, and the
TRUTH is not in him" (I John 2: 4).
The liar is summed up in 2: 22 as the one that denies the Lord. The words are
emphatic:--
"Who is THE LIAR, but he who denies that Jesus is THE CHRIST? This is THE
ANTICHRIST, THE ONE WHO DENIES the Father and the Son."
We are not allowed, however, to stay upon this ground of high doctrine, but are
brought once more face to face with practical truth. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a LIAR" (4: 20).
The final statement leaves doctrine, prophecy and practice, and deals with the witness
of the gospel. It should be remembered that witness", "testify", and "record" here are
variations introduced for euphony. We will translate "witness" throughout:--
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness
of God which He hath witnessed of His Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath
the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a LIAR; because he
believeth not the witness that God gave of His Son. And this is the witness, that God
hath given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (5: 9-11).
The denial of human guilt, the denial of God's witness of Christ in the gospel, the
denial that the Son of God has come and is coming in the flesh, the denial that Jesus is the
Christ, and the failure to practice what we preach, constitute the great antichristian LIE.
Let us walk in truth. (III John 3).