2 John 5

miniature version of 1 John, extols those who live in love and truth and warns those who don’t teach and abide in truth and lvoe… 5 /13 right from 1 John, Truth and love two main postive features of John’s Christianity! KEY: window into early church = two kinds of leaders - one that serves the LORD and others by living in the truth and practicing love, the other refuses apostolic authroity and love himself more than the church! Truth lives/abides in us, reamins, a primary emphasis that believers remain in the truth and not stry from it=CF REVELATION!Tolkein - fellowship - club, faithfulness loyalty, truth - kind welcome, apsirations none else … care… docrine here and love here - Remove truth and the reason of community fails to exist, fades into world from which it emerged!IS COMMUNITY FADING IN YOUR LIFE IN THESE TIMES OF PANDEMIC, of empty nesting, singleness, of marriage… IS YOUR CARE OF ANOTHER DISAPPERING… G,M,P from F S, IN TRUTH AND LOVE! = proves John’s point . Redemption as Trinitarians project, plan, accomplish, applies in background… What we call the ‘doctrines of grace’ are essential. Grace, mercy and peace are from our Triune God, not from elsewhere. This may be a divisive thing to say and yet vital. Jesus is ‘the way, the truth and the life.’ 2 John 1:1 Seems intolerant insensitive and unloving proclaim unique Christ way… yet must be a church that never fails to abide in the truth So that it CREATES CAPACITY TO LOVE! G,M,P = unique constellation only time 3 used together in NT - grace only in John 1:16-17 = grace given in continual supply just when one measure is used up, another replaces it = wave after wave! FULL of God’s grace to us, never used up in Christ. peace as result cessation of turmoil and anxiety! gifts only come from God through Christ in this sense… so familiar to readers simply calls himself The Elder - you pl, and sister church gives greeting, both testaments personify covenant community as a woman Hosea 1-3, Eph 5:22-23 2 COr 11:2, Rev 19:7,-9, 21 But bigger cocern - ELECT lady cf. with 1 Peter 5:13 elect lady who is in Babylon! - we must chose Christ, but how able to ? Acts 13:48, appointed to eternal as many… Col 3:12 Xns are the elect of God!IE OT Israel not the nation that chose LORD, but nation which God chose Dt 7:6-8 Elect from every nation, yet one… UNITED BY TRUTH;fellowship must be based on shared view of the truth;. minor can disagree but majors no disagreement… Scripture, Christ, salvation by free grace, vs. doctrine divides, experience unites.. deeds not creeds contrary to Scripture… I LOVE YOUR KINGDOM LORDall who rely on these truths - deep affinity v.4 truth involves obedience vs yes but… CHURCH CHARACTERIZED BY LOVEright emotion of Bible - v.2,4 joy; but now 2, 5-6 when love and truth divorced, sentimentality or oppression - not a bit of love, and a bit of truth - fulness of both justified split with Presb, OPC, BPC attitude to true brethren … pride . turning inward, self-righteousness, a hardness… Gospel helps us define truth John 1:14 and John 14:6,7 Spirit of Truth… John 14:12

​John 14:12 ESV“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Truth is what followers of Jesus also do. indicating they obey Jesus teaching… truth connected to action, not just mind and heart.