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2 John 1-4

The Internet (Good or Evil?) One danger of internet is immediate availability of teachings from every conceivable religious system.  It is common to hear of people who feel the best option is to piece together their theology—taking what they like about each one and molding it into something they’re comfortable with. 

We should expect nothing less from the pagan world.  The thing which binds all the false religions of the world together is that they are opposed to the truth.  We can expect the enemy to make it seem like a good idea to mix and match beliefs—b/c in the end, you have something that fits you. 

When we see the “evangelical church” putting together a system of beliefs based on differing perspectives, it ought to grieve our hearts.  That is precisely what is happening in our culture today.  It repudiates absolute truth and when the church tries to court those who have that mindset (as the Emergent Church does), then you begin to sacrifice what the Bible clearly teaches as propositional truth in favor of respectful conversations. 

The result is patchwork theology and if you aren’t convinced that God’s Word is the only source of truth, then you have no basis for rooting out error and evil from your life.

“The unattended garden will soon be overrun with weeds; the heart that fails to cultivate truth and root out error will shortly be a theological wilderness.” A.W. Tozer.

This is why the Bible commands discernment of every believer.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 NASB95

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

1 John 4:1 NASB95

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

If we fail to discern truth from error, we’ll end up with error and cease to be the church.  1 Tim 3:15 calls us to be the pillar and support of truth.  Jude calls us to contend earnestly for the faith—truth.  We are in a relentless battle for truth.  Our enemy does not rest and neither must we.

2 Corinthians 10:3–6 NASB95

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

Paul was ready to drive out the false teachers but would wish the church would do it themselves.

Persevering in truth and love is the message of 2 John.  John is passionate about holding up the truth so it remains unassailable.  The purity of the church demands priority of the truth.  For this reason in the first 4 verses John highlights 4 ways that truth defines God’s people.

1)  Truth Produces Genuine Xian Fellowship

Remember—John is writing this letter (from Eph.) calls “the elder.”  That meant he was the last remaining apostle who had authority over the churches.  He was likely an elder in the Eph congregation but the term also denotes a man of maturity, distinguished by older age and thus has great dignity.

Recipient:  “the chosen lady…”

Some have that this chosen lady represents the church and the children the various members.  On the surface, this appears to have weight—church is called the Bride, referred to in the feminine gender.  The difficulty lies in carrying this symbolism throughout the letter. 

It is more natural to see this “chosen lady” as a real woman in one of the churches in Asia minor—along with her literal children.  3Jn is written to a man, 2Jn to a woman.

John calls her a “lady”—term indicates the sphere of her authority and responsibility (kuria).  Her husband is not mentioned—she is likely a widow (or unbelieving husband).

“chosen” eklekte “elect” indicates those whom God sovereignly chooses for eternal glory.

Applied to:

Jesus Christ—Lk 23:35; 1 Pt 2:4,6

Holy Angels

1 Timothy 5:21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

God’s redeemed

Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Matthew 24:22 "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.

Matthew 24:31 "And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Romans 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect?

Colossians 3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

2 Timothy 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect

3x individuals are referred to a “elect” Rom 16:13 “Rufus”; 1 Peter 5:13 “13 She who is in Babylon [code word for church at Rome], chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.”

Bible writers were not ashamed to call believers God’s elect.  This chosen lady illustrates biblical truth that God sovereignly chooses individuals for salvation.  That truth does not preclude human responsibility but simply points out that our salvation began before the foundation of the world in the choice of God.

“to chosen lady whom I love in truth...all those…”

This is not a love letter—romantic love but love which is defined by truth.  This is a willful spiritual devotion that John has for this woman who is a believer.

Brings us to 1st point—truth produces genuine Xian fellowship.  One of the great privileges of God’s elect is that they enjoy fellowship with each other.

1 Jn 1:3

Acts 2:42

Fellowship koinonias simply means to share in common.  Our fellowship is always based on the common faith we have.  That truth we hold to produces unity which cannot exists apart from truth.

Eph 4:1-6

John says “I love you in truth and not only I but everyone who knows the truth also loves you.”  Evidently this woman had a stature that made her well known among the brethren in the surrounding areas.  John simply says—we enjoy fellowship b/c our love is governed by the truth.

Now this important b/c in a few verses John indicates that this woman’s love was not always linked to truth.

True fellowship, true unity can exist only where a common knowledge and affection for the truth exists.  The gospel truth unites us as believers and gives us sweet fellowship with one another.

What about those who reject the truth?  Scripture is clear:  do not allow them into your home (vs 10).

Titus 3:10 “10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,”

Galatians 1:8 “8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”

2 Timothy 3:5–6 “5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,”

2)  Truth Abides in Genuine Believers

What motivates John’s love for other believers is the truth.  “for the sake of”.  God’s truth, revealed in Scripture indwells him and all God’s children.

Abiding truth produces Xian love.  1 Thessalonians 4:9 “9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;”   It is natural to love those who share the same beliefs and convictions.  We love b/c we are born of God, have God’s seed abiding in us.  The natural response of a believer is to love other believers.

1 John 5:1 NASB95

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

“abide” remain, stay.  John has in mind a permanent possession of the truth within each child of God—“with us forever”.

That makes sense to us.  For the HS is called “the Spirit of truth”

Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13

1 John 5:6 NASB95

6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

HS permanently indwells God’s people.  That is God’s pledge to us that the promises He has made will be fulfilled.  The HS is a seal/guarantee.  He causes the truth to abide in us.

Now this does not mean we all comprehend all of God’s truth.  We understand the gospel which saves us.  Our  understanding of those truths increases as our minds are filled with the mind of Christ.

Col 3:16

3)  Truth is the sphere of Genuine Blessing

It is not uncommon for the author of a letter to pronounce a blessing upon the recipients of that letter.

Paul did this frequently:

Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; 1 Thess 1:1; 1 Tim 1:2; 1Pe 1:2; 2 Pe 1:2

What makes John’s greeting unusual is that it is not stated in the form of a request/prayer/wish but fact.  These “will be with us.”

Divine blessing is a natural desire for the human heart.  We all want God’s blessing.  We pray for it, we seek it, we wish it on others.  But John says we have it, and we shall have it in its fullness as God’s people.

3 characteristics about this blessing help us understand the implications of it.

Scope of the blessing

3 terms:

“grace” charis refers to unmerited favor of God to a sinful man.  “by grace you are saved.”  Election is to the praise of His glorious grace.  Sinners do not deserve God’s favor.  But He is the God of grace.  That is His nature:  (Ex 34:6) The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

“mercy” eleos the emotion roused by kindness or concern for someone in need.  Not getting what we do deserve.  As such it is the counterpart to grace.  The OT shows God as the God of compassion.  He is expresses his kindness to undeserving sinners so they might experience His life.

“peace” eirene condition of well-being.  Peace is much more than just an emotion.  It is a condition of harmony between God and the reconciled sinner.

MacArthur says the 3 terms together indicate the progression of salvation.  “God’s grace causes Him to grant mercy resulting in peace.”

Source of Blessing:  From God Father and from JC

The blessings we see in Scripture come from the Father who is the source/fountain.

James 1:17 “17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

The “Son of the Father” (only time phrase is used in NT—elsewhere simply “the Son”) is also included as the one who communicates these blessings to believers.

John unequivocally teaches that Jesus Christ is God.  There is never a question in his mind.  Even the Jews linked Jesus’ Sonship with equality with God.  John mentions to refute the heresies circulating the early church concerning the nature of JC.  He too is the source of these divine blessings.

Sphere of Blessing—In truth and love.  Love must always be conditioned by the truth.  John says these blessing are our when our minds are dominated by truth and our actions are governed by love.

4)  Truth Motivates Genuine Christian Character

Vs 4—“some of children”  there are some who believe John is making a reference to the fact that some of the children of this woman were believers while the others were not. 

John could very well have been saying that he had the opportunity to observe the walk of some of her children.  For whatever reason (travelling or moved), John knew some of her children and he commends them b/c they were walking in the truth.

“walking” is a way of referring to a person’s on-going, continuous manner of living—their pattern of living or habits.  These children/saints had as their habit to conduct themselves in the realm of Xian truth as they had been commanded to. 

Though there is no explicit, direct command to “walk in truth” the gospel indicates that Xians will live according to the truth.

Gal 2:14—Paul confronting Peter; Eph 5:2,8; 1 John 2:6 “6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

The Father in heaven calls us to holy and upright living.

1 Peter 1:16 “16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

We’re called to live like Christ—that means we walk according to the truth.  That brought tremendous joy to John’s heart to see the fruit of the gospel bringing transformation in the hearts and lives of God’s people.

These saints are great examples of what it means to be defined by the truth.  They loved the truth and received the joy of Xian fellowship, the constant abiding of the Spirit of the truth, manifold blessings from God & Christ and were motivated to live like Christ. The truth ought to define us.  It ought to shape our mindset/worldview.  It ought to determine how we live, what we do, how we interact with the world and other Xians.  God has defined truth, We must yield, submit, obey it.