2Jn 1:1 From: The Elder, To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I genuinely love, and not only I but also all who know the truth 2 that is present in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus the Messiah, the Father's Son, in truth and love. 4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children living truthfully, just as the Father has commanded us. 5 Dear lady, I am now requesting of you that we all continue to love one another. It is not as though I am writing to give you a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning. 6 And this is what demonstrates love: that we live according to God's commandments. Just as you have heard from the beginning what he commanded, you must live by it.
Discussion
The first thing that comes to mind when reading this scripture is, who is the “chosen lady to whom John refers? There may have been a lady by the name of Eklecte, Kuria, or Cyria, a beloved friend to John and to the church, an individual and her family, be it her natural children, or a fellowship of believers associated with her.
Another possible theory is that John was writing to a ‘sister’ church some distance away. It is also possible that the letter refers to Mary, mother of Jesus; Jesus had entrusted his "beloved disciple" with Mary's life when Jesus was on the cross (John 19:29).
No matter to whom it was written, John's message is God's word to his people, whomever and wherever they may be. It is God's teaching, and leading his people, to pay attention to His word.
John's letter begins with mentioning his love of all who know “the truth” which is the gospel truth. Then he addresses the matter of their living as the Father has commanded. And as well to encourage them to love one another in truth and to continue to do so.
The letter also serves as a warning to the genuine believers to resist the missionary efforts of the secessionist opponents, and of the dangers of welcoming them whenever their representatives should arrive. Opponents to the true teachings of Jesus, who have withdrawn from fellowship with the genuine Christians but have continued to engage in efforts to win ‘converts’ from the original group to which they formerly belonged. Johns letter is a warning to the genuine believers to resist these efforts, and to remain true to the eyewitness testimony concerning the significance of the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, and the incarnation.
What can be the gain for us in taking in these words of John to his flock?
First; we are to continue in the truth as we have learned it in Jesus teachings. Those teachings are true and timeless. They live in us and thru us as God's words guide our thoughts words and deeds. Our interactions with our fellow man reflect these teachings.
Second; we are to trust God's words as infallible and eternal, God is truth and love and will never change. We are God's chosen and will be ever thus through Christ our Lord, and Savior.
Third; That we live unto God's commandments, not as if they are new commands but as Christ has given them to us, That we love God with all our heart , mind and soul, and our neighbor as our self. This we will do until the moment of our glorification.
Questions
1. What prompted John to address this letter the way he did?
2. What does John mean in vvs 2&3 “The truth that is present in us, and will be with us forever”?
3. What are the three blessings that John's salutation seeks for them
4. In verse 4 what does John mean by the words “living truthfully”?
5. What was John's request of the “dear lady”?
6. What is it that demonstrates love as John says?
2nd John 7- 13 Receive your full reward
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world. They refuse to acknowledge Jesus the Messiah as having become human. Any such person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 See to it that you don't destroy what we have worked for, but that you receive your full reward. 9 Everyone who does not remain true to the teaching of the Messiah, but goes beyond it, does not have God. The person who remains true to the teaching of the Messiah has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you but does not present his teachings, do not receive him into your house or even welcome him, 11 because the one who welcomes him shares in his evil deeds. 12 Although I have a great deal to write to you, I would prefer not to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
Discussion
As the Gospel spread in the first century, evangelists and teachers would travel from city to city in order to make and instruct new converts. The trouble is again with those who John calls false teachers who cause trouble with the faithful by bringing in erroneous beliefs, or by trying to promote themselves, and decieving the faithful by discounting the Christians faith, and belief in Christ's crucifixion, death, and resurrection as the one and only path to our salvation.
Any faith which denies the incarnation, or promotes any other deity or belief is false, and John writes that anyone who does not believe the teachings of Jesus, and profess the incarnation, should not be welcomed into the fellowship or invited into the Christians home. This does not imply that we as Christians are to exclude non believers from our homes or that we should shun them. It is saying that false teachers and those professing other than Jesus as savior are to be excluded.
We should understand that in this letter, John is not forbidding contact with non-believers nor is he saying that we should avoid proscribing attempts to persuade false teachers of their errors. It is a Christians charge to promote the Christian faith wherever it will be received, and to be ever mindful and constantly on guard against the efforts of the evil one. This letter is written to believers in the Gospel. In it, John is telling them not to give official sanction to those who deny the faith. He is telling his flock not to provide hospitality for those who claim to be teachers, but then reveal themselves to be false believers by what they teach.
What do we gain from these words from John.
First; Ask ourselves this question. Are there many false teachers and misrepresentations of the gospel in today's world? If the answer is in the affirmative, what would God have us do?
Second; What is the Christians responsibility to those who do profess to us a belief that is not Christ centered and which does not acknowledge the incarnation? A belief which disregards the Grace of God, but would have us work for our salvation, discounting Jesus' sacrifice of His life for our salvation. What responsibility should I as a Christian feel about that?
Third; Do not become an enabler of a false teacher or accept a false doctrine as partially right. Become informed as to our Christian duty according to God's word, as to what to do about such matters and then make that a matter of truth. Do not encourage false doctrine, but encourage the sinner to learn of Jesus and His love. The truth of our salvation.
Questions
1. In vs. 7, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world” Who are these deceivers ?
2. In vs. 8, “See to it that you don't destroy what we have worked for” means what?
3. Read vs. 9, what are your thoughts about going beyond the teachings of the Messiah?
4. In the context of this scripture, for what reason is one not to be welcomed into your house?
5. Why would one not want to welcome such deceivers into their home?
6. We are studying a letter from about 2000 years ago, does it apply in our lives today?
Opening Prayer, Father God bless us this evening with understanding as we study the word of God as given to us in the 2nd epistle of the apostle John. Guide our thoughts us as we seek to learn more of how we are to continue in love and fellowship with one another and to strengthen our resolve in spreading the gospel message. Help us in our effort to remain true to the teachings of Jesus and to resist any effort to distort or misrepresent that teaching. May it never be that we would entertain another path to our salvation, as some are led to believe. We pray this in the Name of Jesus ...Amen
Closing Prayer, Almighty God, instill within us the desire to hold fast to the teachings of Jesus. Help us to be true and faithful witnesses for Christ as we live our daily lives. Bring to us the words we need to speak when we are challenged in our faith. And help us to be bold in the speaking of our faith when it is Your will for us. We pray Your blessings now on those of our friends and loved ones who need Your care and comfort. We pray for these now_____________Our prayer for these named and for those on our hearts, is for Your healing hand to touch their infirmity and Your peace and comfort to give them rest, and Your strength to give them hope in their recovery. We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen
Meditation
It is possible to respond to each new challenge or difficult issue arising in our culture that poses questions for Christian faith and values by rejecting and condemning outright anything that is strange, unfamiliar, or contrary to traditional opinions. Are we really qualified to do that? What we should be doing is meeting the challenges squarely as a Christian should do, and as a devoted follower of Christ's teachings, try to determine the validity of such matters before ruling on them.
It is also possible to respond to each new challenge, idea or cultural development by trying to blend it into the Christian faith without asking hard questions about whether it will really fit, or if it meets the moral and ethical measures given to us in Christ's teachings. The result is that Christianity can become very trendy in some churches and not so much in others. Is God a trendy God, we might ask? The answer to that question may come at the expense of truth. It may seem that in order to make Christianity relevant we must accept whatever trend-setting fads, new age beliefs or high profile intellectuals set for us. But are we then putting ourselves in the position of letting God know what we want him to accept? Are we sure we want to do that?
The Christian, “true believer” should make the effort to avoid both a negative aggression or a passive acceptance toward the changing social and moral standards of the developments of our day, and an accommodation of the Christian message to the spirit of the times. In other words do not be close minded, but also do not lose your passion for the truth of our faith. Our goal is to seek to make a faithful response that acknowledges the church’s responsibility to continue changing and growing in its own, if such is God's will. That just might make the accommodation a little difficult or it might render the church a new and evangelical spirit.
Sometimes the moral compass of society can seem to go against our belief, just as often as it goes with our belief. In our understanding of the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ we have much to learn, both from God’s word in Scripture and from God’s world. This means, as a practical matter, taking what critics of orthodox Christianity say with utmost seriousness — while not yielding ground on those basic principles which Scripture clearly teaches and which have formed the essential framework of belief for the church throughout its history. In some instances a firm stand is a Christians only choice. In John's words, Test the teachers. Amen.
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