Good morning and happy Monday. The world is back at it. Our house sits very close to I-20 in SW Fort Worth and on busy mornings you can hear the hum of the highway. Busy, busy, busy. Everyone going to work, going to school, going somewhere. We live in such a busy world. In fact, the next time you ask someone how they are doing or how they have been, what is their standard answer? Oh, I’ve been so busy. I always wonder if they are really busy or if it’s just become our standard answer. I think in our world today that busy has become good. That we all should be very busy or we’re somehow not doing life right. How would you react if you asked someone how they’re doing and they responded with, “I’ve been so relaxed and I have some much free time I just do whatever I want whenever I feel like it.” I think most of the world would somehow feel remorse for this person. Ahhh, they have no purpose. How sad, they’re not busy all the time. I guess the real question is, is busy good or bad? I guess it really boils down to what your doing and who you’re doing it for. Something to think about, what keeps you the most busy?
This morning we are in unchartered waters that I never thought I would find myself in. When I unknowingly started the 5MC last May, I never thought that I’d still be writing the following March. But yet, here I sit starting the book of 2 John 10 months later. I started in the first book of the New Testament, Matthew, and have progressed through the entire New Testament. The books of 2 and 3 John are only 13 and 15 verses respectively, so we’ll knock those out in one day each. Them comes the book of Jude which is only 24 verses so we’ll finish that on Wednesday of this week. That only leaves one book left in the New Testament, Revelation. I had debated what to do with the book of Revelation as it is quite the undertaking to fully explain it and do it proper justice. I had been thinking about it quite often, but I never thought the week would come where I had to make the decision. Last night Margie and I had a Braum’s burger and as we ate, I asked her opinion. Her response? Tackle Revelation, there’s no other way. The 5MC is working “directly through the Bible” so it makes no sense to skip any book, no matter how deep it might be. So, this Thursday after we study 2 John, 3 John and Jude we will start a study of the book of Revelation. I’ve already started reading a second commentary on it, it should be a great time of exploring one of the most colorful, informational and misunderstood books in God’s Word. The completion of Revelation will then bring us right up to the one year anniversary of the 5MC and we will in turn start at the beginning of the Old Testament with the Pentateuch, which is the first 5 books of the Bible, all written by Moses. That will be fun. God’s Word is indeed fun to study!
This morning we look at the short book of 2 John. 2 John is the second shortest book in the Bible with only 245 words. It sits only behind 3 John that has 219 words. John wrote his three epistles at the end of his life, around 90 AD, when he was nearing 100 years old. The letter focuses, as you probably deduced from the title, on truth. In fact, it juxtaposes truth with love. In 1 John we saw him use love an astounding 44 times in only 5 chapters. There’s definitely a reason it’s called the book of love. In fact in two of the studies of 1 John, I simply extracted every verse that used the word love and discussed them, hence the 2 studies, Love 9 times and Love 27 times. If you missed them be sure and back up and check them out. There is not much better than having an intense study of God’s beautiful love!
Let’s talk about mankind. That’s all mankind, men and women. I think as soon as we reach a mature mental age we begin seeking. It’s just built into us, to seek. But the ironic thing is that even though we are on a quest to seek, we don’t know exactly what we are looking for. It’s a strong pull, one that causes us to leave our parents, leave our hometowns and go looking. Looking for “our way.” The older I get and the more time I spend in God’s Word, the more apparent the answer becomes as to what mankind is searching for. Truth. Undeniable, unchangeable, certain truth. Reliable, relentless, absolute truth. We are searching for truth in our lives and in this world. If you really think about it, what else is there that you can really depend on in this world but truth. All stems from truth. True love is based upon truth. Happiness and joy is based on truth. Goodness in relationships is based upon truth. We see truth and its effects all around us but what is truth and where does it start? This is the questions that moves a million feet. The origin of truth.
The funny thing is, truth sits right in front of us. God is truth. It only makes sense that if God created the world, us and everything in it, that He would not only also create truth but that He would be truth. So, the primary obstacle to mankind is not discovering truth but discovering God. More specifically in admitting that God is who He says He is. The endless search however makes very good sense when you factor in man’s inherited sin nature and the fact that it causes us to naturally be in rebellion towards God and His Word. So, if God is truth and He declares it so in His Word, yet we refuse to acknowledge Him and His Word, then it’s like searching for a white rabbit in a blizzard. It’s right before us but we just can’t see it.
But what John addresses today is where does God’s absolute truth rank versus God’s absolute love. What a tremendous question that raises quite the tremendous paradox. Truth vs. Love. Since we’re only dealing with 13 total verses, lets enjoy 2 John it in its entirety as we study it:
“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.
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. 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.
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.
John uses the word truth 5 times and the word love 3 times throughout the 13 verses. John starts out restating his topic from 1 John, that if we love God we will keep His commandments and we will also love fellow believers. In fact, it’s very important that you note this great detail, the love that John speaks so abundantly of in 1 and 2 John is not some generic love for the people of the world but a very specific love that is between fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, the misinterpretation of these books is in a way responsible for much of the wishy washy “God is love” doctrine we hear so much of today. That to love everybody means to tolertae everything. That somehow because God is love I am supposed to tolerate and accept every type of sin embracing lifestyle that people can possibly concoct. We hear a doctrine of God in today’s society that is if we DON’T tolerate and embrace all types of sin embracing lives, that I am some type of monster that hates people. Not close and not even close to what God’s Word actually says. We hear the whole hate the sin but love the sinner statement. Also, not exactly what God’s Word teaches. Who am I to say what sin or sinner I should hate or love? Should I love both the murderer and adulterer yet hate the blasphemer? Or should I hate them all or love them all? You see anytime we rely on ourselves to make sense of God, we get it wrong. We simply need to consult God and His Word for the answer. God hates sin. Sin is anything you say, think or do that displeases Him. If you sin against God He will still love you, but it disappoints Him greatly, even to the point of a believer ‘quenching the Holy Spirit.’ (1 Thess 5:19) So this is how God treats sin, He does not tolerate it in itself or tolerate it in the believer but instead judges it and punishes it. So how am I to deal with sin and sinners in this world. Well, of course with love but specifically with love for their soul. You see it’s hate the sin love the sinner but more specifically hate the sin and love the sinner’s soul. We should love them enough to give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Simply loving the sinner and NOT giving them the gospel is not showing them God’s love at all. We walk a fine line today between tolerance and love. We are not to tolerate sin but love unbelievers enough to give them the Gospel. You can’t do both.
So, if you have truth and you have love which trumps the other? Tough question, especially when your speaking of both that originate from God. Think on this. “ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Here we have a foundational doctrinal statement from Jesus. But notice you don’t see love mentioned here. In defining himself He uses three descriptive foundational elements. The Way, the truth, the life. The way defines the path He makes for us to God. Jesus is the only way to God. Man cannot arrive to God any other way. The life is eternal life. Through the precious blood of Jesus we can have the darkeness of our sin made white as snow before God. Because of this atonement we can have eternal life with Him in Heaven. Then we have truth. You see truth is what binds the way and the life together. It is a bridge that connects them. Without pure and absolute truth the way and the life cannot exist. So where is love in this statement? Truth has to exist for love to exist. Jesus is the truth and out of that flows everything. Out of the truth of God flows, grace, mercy, life and forgiveness.
John segues from love amongst believers to dealing with false teachers. We have dealt greatly with false teachers in the past few months, if you want to back up and read more, we discussed it at length in 2 Peter 2. You can back up and read it at The5MC.com under the More/2 Peter tabs. So when dealing with false teachers John offers a commandment that our world today, just as dealing with sinners above, would completely misunderstand and condemn. How are we to treat false teachers? “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.”
John is clear here in saying that if anyone teaches a doctrine that denies the truth of Jesus Christ you are not to host them in your home or even greet them! What? If I were to exercise this verse today and refuse to host or even greet someone that teaches false doctrine and it were to make the news, it would almost be scandal for Christians. What? You refused to love someone? But as a Christian you are commanded to love everyone. It’s a rule for all Christians at all times, right? That you have to love, tolerate and adopt all lifestyles. Well, that’s not what we’re told right here in God’s Word. In fact, it even goes a step farther and says that if you greet a false teacher “you take part in his wicked works.” Tough words from John, but yet they are crystal clear.
Truth vs Love. What a great study today in exactly who Jesus Christ is and exactly what God’s Word says. God is truth. His Word is truth. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matt 24:35)
Praise God that He is truth. Our journey for the truth is our journey for God. If you don’t know God may you find Him through Jesus Christ today.
