Proclamation:
“… I am not writing you a new command but one we have had
from the beginning. I ask that we love
one another. 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.” 2 John 1:5-6 (NIV)
Explanation:
These words were written by the apostle John, under the
influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to an unnamed Christian woman, and to her
children. It is the only Book of The
Bible which is addressed to a woman. (The Bible Books of Ruth and Ester were written
about women but were not addressed to them.)
This single chapter letter focused on the truth and love, and warns her
to watch out for deceivers. John states
that he loves this lady in truth. (2 John 1:1-2) He also rejoices that her children are also
walking in the truth. (2 John 1:4) He encourages
her to love all believers and to obey The Lord’s commands. Then he tells her not to “watch out” for
deceivers and do not welcome them into her home. (2 John 1:8-11)
Application:
If we truly love The Lord God then we will keep His
commands. (John 14:15) Believers are to
love one another. We are also to love
our enemies (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27) and pray for them. We are to pray for the unbelievers and
deceivers but we are not to fraternize or socialize with them. We are not to welcome them into our homes or to
wish them well, for to do so is to share in and support their wicked work. (2
John 1:10-11) We are to pray for them
but not to encourage or assist them.
No comments:
Post a Comment