We need to follow John to be polemical against heresy.

[jidong xiao]

第一世纪末使徒约翰写他的福音书、书信和启示录时，已经有关于基督身位的异端。有一种异端教训说，基督是神，但不是人。另一种异端说，基督是人，但不是神。还有一些异端者否认耶稣是基督。因着这样的光景，约翰就有负担要包罗万有的论到基督的身位。

在约翰的著作中，我们看到耶稣就是基督，主耶稣基督是神也是人。在约壹二章，我们会看到使徒约翰对付塞林则派的异端，他们将基督与耶稣分开，因而否认了耶稣就是基督。当我们来到第四章，我们会看到约翰对付多西特派的异端，他们否认耶稣基督是在肉体里来的。约翰的著作启示基督是包罗万有的，耶稣就是基督，祂是神也是人。

使徒约翰在他的著作里争辩，不是对抗律法、割礼或犹太教，乃是对抗智慧派、塞林则派和多西特派的异端。“争辩”一辞是指藉着辩论或争论，为真理而战。争辩者会为着真理有力且厉害的辩论。他会为真理争战，为真理作战。我们需要跟从约翰，为对抗异端而争辩。

Toward the end of the first century, when the Apostle John was writing his Gospel, Epistles, and Revelation, there were already heresies concerning the Person of Christ. One heretical teaching was that Christ was God but not man, and another heresy was that Christ was man but not God. Other heretics denied that Jesus was the Christ. Because of such a situation, John was burdened to write concerning the Person of Christ in an all-inclusive way. 

In John's writings we see that Jesus is the Christ and that the Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man. As we shall see, in chapter two of 1 John, the Apostle John deals with the heresy of the Cerinthians, those who separate Christ from Jesus and thus deny that Jesus is the Christ. When we come to chapter four, we shall see that John deals with the heresy of the Docetists, those who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. The writings of John reveal that Christ is all-inclusive, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He is both God and man. 

In his writings the Apostle John was polemical, not against the law, circumcision, or Judaism, but against the heresies of the Gnostics, Cerinthians, and Docetists. The word "polemical" or "polemic" refers to the fighting for the truth by debating or disputing. A person who is polemical will debate strongly and sharply on behalf of the truth. He will fight for the truth and wage war for it. We need to follow John to be polemical against heresy.