Truth Builds The Church Series

Scripture

The New Testament of the Holy Bible contains three letters that were written by the Apostle John. A group of false teachers had infiltrated the churches for which John was responsible around Ephesus. They denied that Jesus was the Son of God and also taught that one needed special enlightenment to have a relationship with God. So, John wrote these three letters to do damage control and to assure the Christians of their salvation. John’s purpose in writing these letters is given in 1 John 5:13, where he states, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”

We have completed our study of the First Letter of John. We are now studying the Second and Third Letters of John. The issue in these two letters is similar in that each has to do with hospitality shown to traveling teachers, especially itinerant preachers. Johnson summarizes the clear difference between the two letters by noting, “In addition, 2 John is especially concerned about withholding hospitality from false teachers (vv. 10, 11), whereas in 3 John, extending hospitality to true teachers.”

The Second Letter of John has to do with the way in which truth is applied in our daily lives and, therefore, how it builds the church.

Let’s read about how truth builds the church in 2 John 5-13. Since the letter is so short, I shall read the entire Second Letter of John:

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. (2 John 5-13)

Introduction

In the novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Garcia Marquez, the author describes in his magical but realistic way a village suffering from an insomnia plague. As this plague continues, it gradually causes the loss of memory. To try and salvage memory, Marquez describes how a man named Jose developed an elaborate plan that involved labeling everything: “With an inked brush he marked everything with its name: table, chair, clock, door, wall, bed, pan. He went on to the corral and marked the animals and plants: cow, goat, pig, hen,…banana.”

As their memory continued to fade Jose decided that he needed to be even more explicit. He posted a sign on a cow that read: “This is the cow. She must be milked every morning so that she will produce milk, and the milk must be boiled in order to be mixed with coffee to make coffee and milk.” Thus they were living in a reality that was slipping away, momentarily captured by words but which would escape…when they forgot the values of the written letters. Eventually the village put a placard at the entrance to town that said, “God exists,” as that knowledge too was slipping.

The Apostle John, like all biblical authors, was concerned about truth. The false teachers were traveling around teaching their false doctrine. He wanted to protect believers from false teaching and to apply the truth to their daily lives.