When to Grieve, Not Greet [Family Worship lesson in 2John v7–13]

Why is the truth about Jesus so important? 2John v7–13 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the truth about Jesus is crucial, because lies about Jesus will keep you from having Jesus Himself. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.22 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 John 7–13

Read 2 John 7–13

Questions from the Scripture text: Who have gone out into the world (2 John 7)? What quantity? What do they not confess? What does this reveal about them? What must the apostle’s readers look to (2 John 8)? In order not to lose what? But receive what? What about for those who transgress this doctrine (2 John 9)? What if one does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, what doesn’t he have? What if one abides in the doctrine of Christ—what (Whom!) do they have? What may happen (2 John 10)? What two things mustn’t they do to false teachers? What does someone who greets a false teacher share in (2 John 11)? But who greets them (2 John 12)? In hopes of doing so in what manner? Who else greet them (2 John 13)?

Why is the truth about Jesus so important? 2 John 7–13 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the truth about Jesus is crucial, because lies about Jesus will keep you from having Jesus Himself.  

Joy augmented by grief, 2 John 7-8. One more reason for John’s great rejoicing in 2 John 4 now appears. After having to deal with so many deceivers, it must have been a great joy indeed to find sound believers! How the apostle must have grieved over those who did not confess Jesus as God, Who has added humanity to Himself. These “antichrists” are not satisfied to believe falsely by themselves. Twice, 2 John 7 warns that they are “deceivers,” and 2 John 8 warns the church to which John is writing, “Look to yourselves.” Someone who seems to have believed, if he turns from the true doctrine of Christ, shows that he has believed “in vain” and has never believed or been justified (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:2). 

Deadly Christology (or lack of it), 2 John 9. Christians are to abide, to remain, to dwell, to live in the true teaching about Christ. Indeed, Christians are to abide in Christ Himself, but if they do not abide in the true doctrine of Christ, then any “christ” in whom they dwell will be a figment of their imagination and not the Redeemer. 

Many who begin to quibble about His divinity, or corrupt the truths about either His one divine personhood or His two complete, distinct, united, but unconfused natures… they question what the big deal is. Others who lack love for Him and interest in Him feel a moral superiority over those who are “too intensely” theological about Jesus. But 2 John 9 teaches us the big deal: it’s about whether we have the Son and the Father. And there can be no bigger deal.

How the deadly disease spreads, 2 John 10-11. Why does the apostle teach this shunning? Isn’t it unkind?! What is truly unkind is welcoming, encouraging, or expressing fellowship with someone who comes as if a Christian, but with wrong doctrine about Christ. John says that doing so gives you a share in his evil deeds. He has seen how Christians were lulled into tolerating Christ-denying, God-denying, soul-destroying heresy by other believers’ toleration. Among excommunicants (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:9–13), the wolves (false teachers, cf. Matthew 7:15) must especially be rejected and avoided (cf. 2 Peter 2:1–3). By failure to do so, how many Christians have been sadly and subtly destroyed these twenty centuries!

One happy antidote, 2 John 12-13. The apostle now returns to the mutual delight and joy that he has with them as true believers. There’s much more that he could write (2 John 12), but he’d prefer the fuller joy for both of them that comes from greeting one another face to face. Greeting one another, taking delight in one another, is an important part of how God uses us in one another’s lives. The members of the church that John is with at the time therefore send greetings with him back with those members who have so delighted them (2 John 4). What we are not to do with the false teachers is precisely the thing we should seek to do as much as possible with one another!

With what false teachers/believers should you being careful not to associate? How do you bring the true doctrine of Christ into your thinking, praying, and conversation? What true believers do you take delight in, and greet, and encourage face-to-face as much as God gives you opportunity?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for how tolerant we have been with those who claim to be Christians but do not confess Jesus Christ as God Who has come in the flesh. Forgive us for how careless we have been to guard our own theology and that of others. We have worried so much about being friends to antichrists that we have sometimes acted as enemies of believers’ souls. But You have guarded us in Your kindness, and atoned for our sin, and given us Your Spirit. Forgive us and cleanse us and grow us, and give us great fellowship with true believers, we ask through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP197 “Christian Unity” or TPH406 “Jesus, with Thy Church, Abide” 

Loving the Church and Her Members [Family Worship lesson in 2John v1–6]

Who loves the church? 2John v1–6 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that all in whom Christ abides love the church. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.15 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 John 1–6

Read 2 John 1–6

Questions from the Scripture text: How does the writer identify himself (2 John 1)? His addressees? What is his disposition toward them? In what does he love them? Who else loves them in truth? Why (2 John 2)? What is their relation to the truth? How long will the truth be with him and them? What three other things will be with them (2 John 3)? From what two persons? In what two aspects of Their character? What is the first Person called here? What is the second Person called here? What has the elder done (2 John 4)? How much? Over finding whom? Doing what? In accord with what that they have received from Whom? Now what does the Elder do with the lady (2 John 5)? But what isn’t he doing with this pleading? Regarding which commandment is he pleading/urging? What is the commandment which they have had from the beginning? How does 2 John 6 define love? And how does this relate to loving one another—what have they done with this commandment for how long? What must they continue to do with this commandment?

Who loves the church? 2 John 1–6 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that all in whom Christ abides love the church.  

How to think of the church and her members. “The elder” is John, who is an apostle and an elder (cf. 1 Peter 5:1), in addition to probably being elderly and the last remaining apostle at the time of writing. “The elect lady” is the church, considered both broadly as the visible church (“elect/select” from the world) and particularly, in this case, in a specific congregation in a specific place (n.b. “the children of your elect sister” in 2 John 13). Some would have these be two noble Christian women, but it is much more consistent with the office of the apostle to be sending greetings from one congregation to another rather than one woman to another. Also, if this was a particular woman, it could hardly be said that “all who have known the truth” love her. 

With that settled, we can see how the apostle’s address teaches us to think of the church: as the elect lady and her children (cf. Revelation 12:13–17). Everyone who has known the truth loves the church as Christ’s chosen lady on earth. If you don’t love the visible church (though you might grieve over congregations of it), then you have not known the truth. For the truth is more than accurate concepts; the Truth is a Person. And He loves the elect lady and her children… i.e. the members of the visible church.

How we come to love the church and her members. So, we should think of the church the way that the Lord Jesus Christ thinks of the church, but how does that happen? There are clues to that all through the first three verses. “whom I love in truth” (2 John 1) sounds, at first, like “sincerely” or “accurately,” but then in 2 John 2 it turns out that “the Truth” is a person: “the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.” Christ abides in believers (cf. John 15:4, John 17:23; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Ephesians 3:17). And He is with us forever (cf. Matthew 28:20). By the grace that is from the Father and the Son, we are strengthened to love the brethren. The loving mercy that we have from the Father and the Son overflows in us in love unto the brethren. In the peace that we have with the Father and the Son to know that God loves us, and that we love God, so also we love those who are born of Him. 2 John 3 is not merely a greeting; it is a recipe for how union with Christ produces love for our brethren, which is one reason why the apostle concludes it with “in truth and love.”

What it means if we genuinely love the church and her members. This letter was occasioned by the apostle John “rejoicing greatly.” What made him so glad? He found some members of this other congregation walking in truth. That is to say that they were obeying Jesus Christ, just as the Father Himself had commanded (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15–19; Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; Acts 3:19–26). This is the hallmark of those in whom the Father, Son, and Spirit have savingly worked: they live in union with Christ, according to the commandment of Christ. The apostle puts this a couple of ways. First, he reminds this church that what He urges them to continue to do, when they receive this good report back with their church members that have so gladdened him, is the same thing that Christ has commanded since the eve of His crucifixion (2 John 5, cf. John 13:34–34, John 15:12, John 15:17). 

Second, the apostle reminds them that genuine love will always be accompanied by obedience to the commandments (2 John 6a), and genuine obedience to the commandments will always include walking in the commandment to love the brethren (verse 6b). If there is no love of the brethren, then whatever outward conformity there is to God’s law is not Christ-produced obedience. And if there is not obedience to Christ’s other commandments, then whatever warm feelings, good social relations, or works of service there are toward other Christians, it still isn’t Christ-produced love of the brethren. The life of Christ, the Son, the Truth, produces both (love for the brethren and obedience to the Word); or else, we may be sure that it is producing neither. If we are genuinely loving the brethren, and keeping the Lord’s other commandments from the heart, it is fruit and evidence of our walking in Him Who is the truth. Of course, then, the apostle rejoiced greatly! We, too, should rejoice greatly at finding this in others, as well as seeking to become occasions of others’ rejoicing.  

In what ways does your love for the visible church show up in your schedule? Your prayers? Your efforts? Your expenditures? In what ways does love for specific brethren do so? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for not treasuring the church more, as Christ’s “elect lady.” We have not devoted ourselves to her as we ought in our plans and prayers and priorities. And forgive us for often allowing our hearts to despise, or scorn, or even just feel coldly toward other church members. Forgive us this great sin, the violation of Christ’s new commandment, and grant that by His abiding in us, we would love the elect lady and her children in truth. For we ask it through Him Who is the Truth, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP197 “Christian Unity” or TPH406 “Jesus, with Thy Church, Abide”

Prayer for Grace, Mercy, and Peace Assured in Christ (200930 Prayer Meeting in 2John v3)

Grace. All that God is (righteous, powerful, good) for all that we are (guilty, weak, wicked). Mercy. The removal of our misery by God's commitment to doing us good. Peace. The steady continuance to us of our total wellbeing, from God's grace and mercy. We are assured of the fact that these will be ours from Christ because of the fact that there is love for God and His church in us, which love has also come from Christ.