“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
If we encounter someone working against the truth, someone who has rejected the truth of who Jesus is (the very essence of the gospel), we need to avoid them. And if avoiding them is not a possibility, we will have to actively reject them.
If we so much as give them words of welcome or encouragement in the work that they are doing, we are taking part in the evil that they are doing. That is strong language. But if we are going to love as we ought, we are going to have to stand for the truth.
Showing posts with label 2 John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 John. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
2 John 7-9
“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. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 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.”
Right after being directed to walk in love, obeying God’s commandments, we are given a reason to walk in love. The motivation for living a life filled with faithful, obedient love is that their are deceivers in the world. The deceivers do not know Christ, and they deny important truths about Him. How is the danger presented by a deceiver a motivation to love believers? Perhaps the healthy relationships guard against unhealthy ones. When we love and are loved by those who walk in the truth, we are not tempted to seek love where we should not.
Right after being directed to walk in love, obeying God’s commandments, we are given a reason to walk in love. The motivation for living a life filled with faithful, obedient love is that their are deceivers in the world. The deceivers do not know Christ, and they deny important truths about Him. How is the danger presented by a deceiver a motivation to love believers? Perhaps the healthy relationships guard against unhealthy ones. When we love and are loved by those who walk in the truth, we are not tempted to seek love where we should not.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
2 John 4-6
“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 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. 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.”
Seeing others who are faithful to the truth is a joy. And if you played a part, even an indirect part, in someone walking in the truth, it is an even greater joy. We walk in the truth by obeying God’s commandments. One of God’s commandments is that we love one another, and one of the ways that we love one another is to obey God’s commandments. Although it comes naturally, and though we were to do it from the start, we must be reminded to keep loving one another. We must not only do the right thing; we must keep doing the right thing.
Seeing others who are faithful to the truth is a joy. And if you played a part, even an indirect part, in someone walking in the truth, it is an even greater joy. We walk in the truth by obeying God’s commandments. One of God’s commandments is that we love one another, and one of the ways that we love one another is to obey God’s commandments. Although it comes naturally, and though we were to do it from the start, we must be reminded to keep loving one another. We must not only do the right thing; we must keep doing the right thing.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
2 John 1-3
“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, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.”
The truth unites us in love. There is a bond of love that you have with Christians you know and even with Christians you don’t know. This bond exists because of the truth’s work in you and others. If you have the truth and you know what it has done for you, then the when you see, meet, or even hear of others who have the same truth, you are bound to them in love. Our relationship with other believers, as with all aspects of our lives, should flow out of the gospel. God, in love and truth, has worked in our lives, and that should bind us, in truth and love, to others who know Him.
The truth unites us in love. There is a bond of love that you have with Christians you know and even with Christians you don’t know. This bond exists because of the truth’s work in you and others. If you have the truth and you know what it has done for you, then the when you see, meet, or even hear of others who have the same truth, you are bound to them in love. Our relationship with other believers, as with all aspects of our lives, should flow out of the gospel. God, in love and truth, has worked in our lives, and that should bind us, in truth and love, to others who know Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)