Second, John says all who "know the truth" would have the same love for this church as he does. By faithfully and steadfastly walking along this way, we are doing “those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). The truth is being threatened by false teachers. Just as in the Gospel of John the author does not explicitly identify himself with the Apostle John, so here he prefers the designation the elder. It makes us free. They said that that which was divine could not become material flesh. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). When we "know the truth" of what we are as brothers and sisters in Christ; when we "know the truth" of God's great love for us; when we "know the truth" of what it is to bear God's image as His offspring, then we will love one another as God has loved us. He talked about heresies, about perversions of the truth, about the distortions and counterfeits that will exist from time to time, in cycles, throughout history. That is to say he loves the church (the elect lady) to which he is writing as a whole as well as the individual members (her children) who make it up. Some note that the brevity of the book can actually be a sign of its authenticity. Truth is simply telling it like it is. The truth is being threatened by false teachers. There is a reason for that. If we push them aside substituting our own doctrines and practices, then we do not have God. verses 4-6). John uses the word "truth" no less than four times in just the salutation. He says we can lose it all or we can receive it all; a full reward! But the writer was an *elder overall the churches in a large area.Much of this letter is like John’s first letter. Used by permission. Notice what John says concerning the "truth." Abraham enthusiastically responded to God’s command. To “walk” in truth before God means striving to follow and imitate the example Christ set: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). How foolish and prideful to tamper with the truth by seeking to alter the commandments of God to fit our own cultures and fads and opinions. Andre van Belkum currently serves as the pastor of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in New Zealand and the Pacific region. The false teacher must be shown that his teaching is unacceptable. It contains scarcely anything that is not found in the preceding; and out of the thirteen verses there are at least eight which are found, either in so many words or in sentiment, precisely the same with those of the first epistle.” (Adam Clarke) All rights reserved. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He [Christ] walked” (1 John 2:6). There are two main points which John makes in the letter. These teachers were the antichrists. 2. His body was an illusion! John was concerned that the members were being deceived into rejecting the truth of God and replacing truth with human-devised dogmas. Truth is that which matches its object. To some, truth is subjective, the individual world of preference and opinion. At any rate, Christians are prohibited from lending encouragement to false teachers. The truth that originates with God is not a temporary, passing phenomenon, but is “the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever” (2 John 2). Early Christians received the second epistle of John from the aged apostle in the latter quarter of the first century. Others believe truth is a collective judgment, the product of cultural consensus, and still others flatly deny the concept of truth altogether. It was "forever." Presumably the Christian community to which he wrote knew who he was. 2 John is a short letter from John the Elder to someone called ‘the elect lady’ and her children. . John “rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.” He also wrote, “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. WARNINGS ABOUT FALSE TEACHERS "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. The Bible identifies truth as a quality intrinsic to the very nature of God. Believers are to love in both deed and in truth (i.e., "truly" 1 John 3:18). The apostle states: “Whoever transgresses and does not abide [continue, remain, endure] in the doctrine [teachings] of Christ does not have God. It could meanthat the person was old. “The letters we call 2 and 3 John are similar in words, style, ideas, and character to 1 John, and must have been written by the same author, who refers to himself simply as ‘the elder’” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, p. 754—see 2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1). They were denying that Jesus had come "in the flesh." Some assume that this is a reference to a church congregation and its spiritual children, while others contend that it is a particular lady who was a member of the Church of God. Previously he pastored congregations in southern Africa, including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. (2 Corinthians 4:10) When we compare His life to our own lives and see how enormously … “First, it is unclear whether John is referring specifically to an individual or metaphorically to an entire congregation,” according to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. 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