2 John 1
Daily Bread 2011 – 2 John 1
1 The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
What Does This Mean?
The writer of this short letter of 2 John is very similar to the writing of the 1 John. Specifically it is concerned about the false teachers that were infiltrating the church, and teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh. Meaning he was some sort of spirit being but not really human. Importantly the writer uplifts the relationship between truth and love. They are not exclusive, and in fact both are important for the integrity of the Church, the body of Christ.
Truth is not just abstract intellectual concepts, but the Truth which comes from knowing God, which when we are obedient to it sets us free. Of course Jesus said, “I am the Truth” reminding us that following Jesus and His teachings is following the Truth. Closely linked with the Truth is Love. After all the Truth is that God’s loves us, and Jesus showed us the complete extent of God’s love by dying for us. As we obey God’s commands the chief one is to love Him and love others with the same love He has showed us.
When John refers to the “dear lady and her children”, he means the church which is also called the “Bride of Christ” in other places in the bible (see Ephesians) and its members. The elder is the leader of the church charged with teaching the Church in truth and in love. The elder was an overseer making sure that the correct doctrines about Jesus were taught. Apparently some false teachers had left the church and were teaching new doctrines about the nature of Christ that denied his true humanity. The reason that is so important is that Jesus took on human flesh so he could die for us. Jesus’ sacrifice involved real suffering as a substitution for us for the sins of all people. Jesus felt every part of the crucifixion, as any human would and was also raised from dead in a resurrected body. These are truths we need to preserve and are at the essence of the “teaching” John describes that we must uphold.
What Does This Mean For Us?
Truth is not something to be used to wield over others, but is lived out in love. There will be times speaking the truth will bring confrontation. At the heart of sin are lies and deceit, and those in sin will try to cover up their sin by lying and being deceptive. But speaking the truth to someone who is living outside of God’s truth is the most loving thing we can do for someone. For if someone is living outside of God’s truth their future will only be full of pain and hardship.
As we live together in the fellowship and community of the church, this is a primary place we live the truth out in obedience, loving each other as Christ has loved us. It will also mean at times speaking the truth in love to a brother or sister who has strayed. Of course, we need to remember to be humble and also that we are all prone to falling to sin so as not to become proud about this. And in all of this, we have the Holy Spirit as our helper and guide who convicts us and others in the body about sin, so that we can repent and return to the truth. As the Spirit speaks to us about Truth, we can either listen to Him or ignore Him. How is the Spirit calling you to walk in obedience to the Truth and with love toward the world today? Do you have a group you meet with that helps you to process what God is saying to you and what you are going to do about it? We all need each other in this process of living in the Truth and in Love.
Jesus, thank you for modeling for us walking in the Truth, and walking in obedience to God’s command to love others. Send us your Spirit to us so we can be sure of when we are straying from the Truth and be alert for False Teacher who would lead us astray. Amen.
1 The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
What Does This Mean?
The writer of this short letter of 2 John is very similar to the writing of the 1 John. Specifically it is concerned about the false teachers that were infiltrating the church, and teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh. Meaning he was some sort of spirit being but not really human. Importantly the writer uplifts the relationship between truth and love. They are not exclusive, and in fact both are important for the integrity of the Church, the body of Christ.
Truth is not just abstract intellectual concepts, but the Truth which comes from knowing God, which when we are obedient to it sets us free. Of course Jesus said, “I am the Truth” reminding us that following Jesus and His teachings is following the Truth. Closely linked with the Truth is Love. After all the Truth is that God’s loves us, and Jesus showed us the complete extent of God’s love by dying for us. As we obey God’s commands the chief one is to love Him and love others with the same love He has showed us.
When John refers to the “dear lady and her children”, he means the church which is also called the “Bride of Christ” in other places in the bible (see Ephesians) and its members. The elder is the leader of the church charged with teaching the Church in truth and in love. The elder was an overseer making sure that the correct doctrines about Jesus were taught. Apparently some false teachers had left the church and were teaching new doctrines about the nature of Christ that denied his true humanity. The reason that is so important is that Jesus took on human flesh so he could die for us. Jesus’ sacrifice involved real suffering as a substitution for us for the sins of all people. Jesus felt every part of the crucifixion, as any human would and was also raised from dead in a resurrected body. These are truths we need to preserve and are at the essence of the “teaching” John describes that we must uphold.
What Does This Mean For Us?
Truth is not something to be used to wield over others, but is lived out in love. There will be times speaking the truth will bring confrontation. At the heart of sin are lies and deceit, and those in sin will try to cover up their sin by lying and being deceptive. But speaking the truth to someone who is living outside of God’s truth is the most loving thing we can do for someone. For if someone is living outside of God’s truth their future will only be full of pain and hardship.
As we live together in the fellowship and community of the church, this is a primary place we live the truth out in obedience, loving each other as Christ has loved us. It will also mean at times speaking the truth in love to a brother or sister who has strayed. Of course, we need to remember to be humble and also that we are all prone to falling to sin so as not to become proud about this. And in all of this, we have the Holy Spirit as our helper and guide who convicts us and others in the body about sin, so that we can repent and return to the truth. As the Spirit speaks to us about Truth, we can either listen to Him or ignore Him. How is the Spirit calling you to walk in obedience to the Truth and with love toward the world today? Do you have a group you meet with that helps you to process what God is saying to you and what you are going to do about it? We all need each other in this process of living in the Truth and in Love.
Jesus, thank you for modeling for us walking in the Truth, and walking in obedience to God’s command to love others. Send us your Spirit to us so we can be sure of when we are straying from the Truth and be alert for False Teacher who would lead us astray. Amen.
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