The apostle John wrote this letter to the “chosen lady of God and her children,” considered by most commentators a cryptic reference to the Church (the bride of Christ) and its members (her children). This book of the Bible commends the readers who are walking in truth and encourages them to continue loving God and each other. The Church is also exhorted to faithfully obey God’s commands and is warned to beware of deceivers who are teaching things contrary to Christ.
In our scripture for today, we sense the importance of staying close to Jesus and His teachings. John makes his readers aware that the world is full of deceivers who endanger the Church with false doctrines. These people are dangerous and are in direct opposition to Christ (antichrist). So dangerous, in fact, that John warns believers not to welcome them into their fellowship, and not to even invite them into their homes.
Our bottom line is this: In every age, Christians are to preserve and proclaim the pure truth of the Gospel to each new generation. Remember, we are always only one generation from the Gospel disappearing from the earth. With that in mind we must stay faithful to Jesus and the Bible, and to fight (with love) against false and deceptive doctrines and practices of the devil.
2 John 6-11
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.”
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