2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The second letter of John was written by “the Elder” to “the dear Lady and to her children.” This is most likely from John to the local church and its members. It is an appeal to love one another and a warning against false teachers and their teachings. Today’s passage, 2JN 1: 1-6 contains a greeting (1-3) and words about the primacy of love (4-6). “From the Elder-To the dear Lady and to her children whom I truly love. And I am not the only one, but all who know the truth love you, because the truth remains in us and will be with us forever. May God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, give us grace, mercy, and peace; may they be ours in truth and love. How happy I was to find that some of your children live in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And so I ask you, dear Lady: let us all love one another. This is no new command I am writing you; it is the command which we have had from the beginning. This love I speak of means that we must live in obedience to God’s commands. The command, as you have all heard from the beginning, is that you must all live in love.”
The greeting here may very well have been sent to a particular lady and her children with the intent that it’s message is to be shared by her with all of us because of it’s importance. What seems evident to me is that “koininea,” that very intimate and loving relationship that believers have with one another and with God, was in place. That is the way that God wants the church to operating today as well. With the members of His church demonstrating real agape (unconditional) love toward each other, we are conforming to the paradigm (model) set for us by Jesus Christ. It is also the condition we can be in to maximize God’s ability to do His work through us and to communicate what we need to know to advance in the sanctification process.
The Believer’s Commentary contains a wonderful discussion of grace, peace, and mercy- what the Elder wanted to wish for the recipients of this second letter in truth and love. Grace is undeserved merit from God. Mercy is pity to those who are guilty and wretched. Peace is harmony from God’s grace and mercy. My favorite hymn of them all is “Amazing Grace.” There are many reasons for this. John Newton, the former sea captain who became an Anglican pastor, wrote this hymn based on EPH 2: 8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith…” His story is one of forgiveness and grace, because the ship he sailed as a young man transported kidnapped Africans to slave markets. God convicted him of this evil, and the Holy Spirit brought him to profound faith and service in that faith to Him and others. The message of this wonderful legacy left to us is truly a message of God’s love. “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound-that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed! The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”
As I have said many times before, God’s will for us to love one another was made clear as early on as LV 19: 18, “Do not take revenge on anyone or continue to hat him, hurt love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.” Christ’s expression of this concept is in JN 13: 34-35, “and now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples.” This is reiterated in JN 15: 12, “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.” Our way of demonstrating the love we have for God and for Christ is stated eloquently in JN 14: 21. “Whoever accepts My commandments and obeys them is the one who loves Me. My Father will love whoever loves Me; I too will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
The grace, mercy, and peace our Elder offers here is in truth and love. The issue of love is pretty clear. If we look at the Scriptures, we can find clarification on the issue of truth as well. It is wholly appropriate to see from wench this truth comes. JN 14: 6-7 [Christ speaking], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me. Now that you have know Me, you will know My Father also, and from now on you do know Him and you have seen Him.” That tells us that Christ is the embodiment of truth, just as He is fulfillment of so many things that are vital to our spiritual lives. HE 4: 12 defines truth for us. “The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where the soul and the spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of man’s heart.” That indicates we can put our trust in the Scriptures, God’s word, knowing they reflect the truths He wants us to know. These are truths to live by. In JN 17: 6-7, part of a prayer Christ for His disciples offered to His Father, tells us this same message another way. “I have made You known to those You gave Me out of the world. They belonged to You, and You gave them to Me. They have obeyed Your word, and now they know that everything You gave Me comes from You.” One last citation really completes the picture. 1JN 5: 6, “Jesus Christ is the One Who came with the water of His baptism and the blood of His dearth. He came not only with the water, but with both the water and the blood. And the Spirit Himself testifies that this is true, because the Spirit is truth.”
The most important conclusion we can draw from these important citations is that truth is not just be believed; it is to be lived. We need to examine our lives continually to see how they measure up to the idea set for us by Jesus Christ. God understands that we can’t be perfect, but He wants us to be the best that He has made us to be. Sometimes that requires us to make big changes, ones that are not either easy or convenient. That is the mechanism He uses to perfect us, to prepare us for the day when we will be called to a meeting in the air with the Son and into eternal fellowship with Him. Our lives can be testimonies to the truth if we are willing to have the faith necessary and do the work required to make it so.
PRAYER: O Lord, each day of our lives You call us to endure in our faith, live the lifestyle that reflects the principles You teach us in the Scriptures and to engage in a dynamic and active prayer life with You. Sometimes we forget to do that. We allow the pressures of our temporal lives to put distance between You and us. We confess that sin and humbly seek You out to guide us in correcting it. You offer us grace, mercy, and peace when You know our faithful confession is real and we take the right action You require. Christ was offered on the cross not only for our salvation, but so that we could have the opportunity to live according to Your teachings as He did. Through Your grace, we have been deemed acceptable and righteous without deserving it at all. When we live in koininea, trusting in Your word and obeying Your commands, we reflect the love that You and Your Son have for us. You are then able to do Your work through us. We dedicate ourselves to making our lives testimonies to the truth He professes. In Christ’s holy name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at our Elder’s teaching on who is a false teacher and dealing with false prophecy found in 2JN: 7-11. As you read through today’s citations, which I’m not ashamed to admit repeating many times, reflect on how much you personally are loved by each person of the Trinity. Let it uplift you and encourage your faith, even when you face adversity. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn