Walking in Truth and Love

2 John is one of the shortest letters in the New Testament. The fact that we even have it is a testament to God’s preservation of his word.

It could be contained on the back of a napkin yet contains truth that we can’t deny.

1 John is a letter that doesn’t really have an intended recipient so it was likely written generally to a group of churches or Christians in general.

2 John has a specific reader in mind. “The Elect Lady.” Who was she? Some people think it’s an actual lady in whose house a local church met. It’s more probable however that The elect lady is a specific local house church in Ephesus.

A warning to a specific house church. There are people who deny Jesus (John calls them deceivers). They are probably going to come looking for validation or support. And this church community is not to offer any.

This letter has a formal greeting that was absent from 1 John. It also has an intimacy level. John knows this church well and he loves them enough to tell them the truth. There are 2 clear themes here in the text: Truth and love. And that truth is so important that it’s worth protecting even it means appearing unloving.

2 John 1–3 ESV

1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

Big Idea: For the sake of love, protect the truth.

One of the hardest things is to watch someone we care about being deceived by lies. It could be lies that they’ve told themselves. It could be lies of someone who claims to care about them. It could be politics on either side of the aisle.

One of the greatest joys is to watch someone walking in the truth. Who knows beyond a shadow of doubt that they are loved and valuable. One who can let the lies of the world pass by because they know the truth.

In John’s letter there is joy knowing that some people get it. Some of walking in the truth. But at the same time, there is this fear, because the lies of the world are persuasive. Like Fox Mulder, we want to believe what people tell us. We need to be very careful. And it starts with walking in truth.

2 John 4–6 ESV

4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

1. Love means Living the truth.

Explanation: What you believe should have an impact on the way you live. Something as awesome as the truth of the gospel changes things. If Jesus gave His life on the cross, that we can truly live, then we ought to live.

Illustration: Imagine you claim to love a sports team, you should be able to tell me the starting 5 of team when they weren’t good. If you watch a movie over and over again, you’re going to be able to quote all the lines. Which is why it’s kind of annoying to watch a movie with someone who has seen it 100 times. They quote it the whole time.

You probably have that one musicians that you know the words to all of their songs....even after years.

What happens when you introduce someone to something that you love and they say, “It was just alright.” It’s like taking a friend to Chic Fil A for the first time only for them to say....”eh.”

Application: If you say you love Jesus, you’re life ought to look different. You ought to memorize scripture like you do song lyrics. You ought to care about the things that Jesus cared about. You ought to do the things that Jesus commanded us to do. We ought to have an insatiable desire to know the truth and live the truth.

And we protect that truth, especially from those who seek to deceive us and those we love. We fight for that truth even if it means appearing to be unloving.

2 John 7–11 ESV

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

2 John 7–9 ESV

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

2 John 1:7-

Illustration: Imagine you claim to love a sports team, you should be able to tell me the starting 5 of team when they weren’t good. If you watch a movie over and over again, you’re going to be able to quote all the lines. Which is why it’s kind of annoying to watch a movie with someone who has seen it 100 times. They quote it the whole time.

You probably have that one musicians that you know the words to all of their songs....even after years.

What happens when you introduce someone to something that you love and they say, “It was just alright.” It’s like taking a friend to Chic Fil A for the first time only for them to say....”eh.”

Application: If you say you love Jesus, you’re life ought to look different. You ought to memorize scripture like you do song lyrics. You ought to care about the things that Jesus cared about. You ought to do the things that Jesus commanded us to do. We ought to have an insatiable desire to know the

2. Love Means Protecting the Truth.

2 John 10–11 ESV

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

2 John 11 ESV

11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

2 John 1:11

Explanation: We can probably easily find ourselves dying on every single little molehill. How do we know what is important enough to fight for.

3. Watch Out.

For John there really was only one test he was laying out for an authentic Christian: That Jesus Christ came in the flesh. That’s because the deceivers were gnostics who believed that Jesus only appeared to be human. Or that the Logos only came upon the human Jesus after he proved himself worthy. This was what John was protecting his loved ones against.

Illustration: No one wants to defend a lie.

Application:

Convictions:

Committments:

Preferences:

We should die to protect our convictions.

John’s letter ends in a formal closing.

2 John 12–13 ESV

12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not 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 elect sister greet you.

This is something that we can all learn from. Don’t write a letter when you can say something face to face. And never ever ever write an anonymous letter.

Reflection: What are you doing in your life to know, protect and live the truth of God’s Word?