Text: 2 John
The Apostle John’s second letter which he wrote to the chosen lady and her children is a small document that packs a punch. At a time when deceivers, antichrists and other false teachers were active in the early church, John sought to ensure that the recipients of his letter remained faithful to the correct teachings about Jesus. And so, one of the key themes in this letter is Truth.
Knowing that the chosen lady and her children were still holding on to an accurate understanding of Jesus gave him much reason to celebrate. However, the potential to be led astray was real, and the consequences severe. So John, in his letter, identifies these false teachers and provides instructions on how to deal with them. So with that said, what can we learn about Truth from 2 John? We learn that:
1. God’s Truth is loved and celebrated by genuine Christians (verse 1-4).
When you read the Apostle John’s writings, it is clear that he loved and celebrated God’s Truth. It especially gave him great joy to find God’s Truth in other people. And this is the case with the chosen lady and her children to whom he addresses in his second letter. We have no idea who this woman or her children were. John may have been writing to a particular family or, as many believe, perhaps he was referring to a church. Either way, the recipients of his letter were Christians who were committed to living out God’s Truth.
One of the reasons John delighted so much in knowing that others were living according to Truth was that it was an indication that they were in a relationship with God and were in a state of salvation. One of the problems that result from lies and falsehoods is the harm they cause to the spiritual well-being of people. In John 8:44, we read that Jesus calls Satan a murder. How does Satan murder? He murders through lies and deceit. By deceiving Adam and Eve, Satan led them to sin. The result was a broken relationship with God. Thus Satan murdered them spiritually. Even now, through his ongoing lies and deceit, most of the world remains locked up in a state of condemnation and are destined for eternal destruction. Contributing also to this situation are those who distort God’s Truth and teach falsely about Jesus Christ. These people keep others in the dark and so that they unable to see the spiritual dangers that surround them or their impending demise.
It obvious John extremely glad to find friends who did not buy into false teachings but held on to the Truth. It should also give us tremendous joy whenever we discover people walking according to God’s Truth.
2. God’s Truth lives in us and will be with us forever (verse 2).
I find John’s statement in verse 2 about Truth living in Christians and being with them forever quite fascinating. It implies God’s Truth is more than dead words on a page and instead is something that actively changes our lives. Of course, in general, Truth incorporates all of God’s written word and all that is reality. However, according to the context of 2 John, it is the Truth regarding Jesus that works within us to save us, sanctify us and transform us into His image. It also allows us to begin eternal life now.
In so far as the chosen lady and her children were concerned, if they already had Truth within them and it was already saving them and blessing them, then why would they need any extra truth that might come from those claiming to have special knowledge? The point is, they didn’t. They already had the God’s Truth, and all they needed to do was hold tight to it.
The application for us is this: If the Truth about Jesus as presented by the Apostles was enough to rescue those in the first century from darkness and bring them into an eternal relationship with God, it is also enough for us. We do not need any new revelation or information about Jesus outside of the teachings of the Apostles and first-century prophets. Anyone who comes to you with different teachings or additional revelations should be rejected.
3. God’s Truth should always be connected to love (Verse 3-6).
Whenever you read John’s writings, you usually find that he majors in both Truth and Love. It’s no surprise then that he emphasises these two qualities even in this small letter. For John, divine Truth should always be expressed from the motivation of love and in the most loving way. Sadly, at times, the church has majored in Truth but often been lacking in love. When we divorce love from Truth, what we end up with is Truth expressed in ways that are insensitive, hurtful and sometimes permanently spiritually damaging. Truth is a bit like medicine. Most medicines can make a significant difference to ill people when administered safely in the right amount. When a medicine is given in inappropriately or provided in improper dosages, it can be lethal. Similarly, for Truth to be effective, it needs to be administered with love and in a way that serves the best interest of others.
That said, it is equally wrong to emphasise love but to neglect Truth. Love disconnected from Truth becomes shallow, hypocritical and benefits no one.
The Apostle John, as a mature Christian understood that God’s Truth is always coupled with love.
4. God’s Truth is discovered in the nature, character, work and life of Jesus Christ (Verse 7-11).
Based on John’s letters, it is clear that false teaching specifically about Jesus had emerged and was impacting churches. Since accurately believing the Truth about the identity, nature, character and work of Jesus is essential to salvation and godly living, John takes exception to these false teachers and calls them “deceivers” and “antichrist”. But what was it that about their teaching that was so serious? It was the fact they were teaching that Jesus had not come in the flesh. Perhaps someone might wonder, is it really that big deal if someone doesn’t believe in Jesus’ fleshly nature? Or, do I really need to believe in Jesus’ divinity to be saved? And again, why does it matter what I believe about Jesus as long as I believe? However, such thinking is wrong. When it comes to Jesus, it does matter what type of faith you have. In John 8:24, Jesus says, “if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins”. Paul says in Galatians 1:8 that “if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”. In 1 John 1:1-3 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone into the world. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world”.
A faith that is not based upon the word of Jesus or the Apostles teachings is not saving faith. Those in the first century who refused to acknowledge that Jesus was human were denying what they most needed – a perfect human to be punished on their behalf for sin. In the absence of Jesus’ suffering in the flesh, we would all have to bear the consequence of sin on judgment day. These false teachers that John was referring to were teaching such a dangerous doctrine that he the recipients of his letter to not welcome or show hospitality to these false teachers. If they did, they would be sharing in their “wicked work” of destroying the salvation of others.
When you read how John expected the chosen lady and her children to respond to false teachers, it might seem a contradiction to his earlier command for them to walk in love. However, when it comes to false teachers, the most loving thing we can do might be to separate ourselves from them. When we refuse to welcome them or show them hospitality, we keep ourselves from engaging in their destructive work and show that we oppose it. This action protects us, protects those we care about and may cause false teachers to consider the seriousness of their doctrines.
Final thoughts:
Without God’s Truth, all of us would continue to live in a place of darkness and sin. However, thanks to God’s word and what it reveals about Jesus Christ, we can come to a saving faith that allows us to be once again joined to a relationship with God and experience eternal life. Since God’s Truth is so beneficial to humans, it is loved and celebrated by all true believers. Not only that, but all true believers enjoy having God’s truth dwell within them in an active, vibrant way. They also love others enough to speak God’s Truth to them, but in a loving, caring fashion. Finally, true believers recognise the importance of accurately understanding through the writings of the New Testament the nature, character, identity, work and life of Jesus and seek to always grow in that knowledge.
