Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us: 2 John 3
2 John 3 New American Standard Bible
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
Grace, mercy, and peace is only available through Jesus Christ. Grace speaks of God’s unmerited favor. It is His favor that is poured out upon the life of the believer that is without limit and end. It enables us to do all that God has called us to do. No matter what we face the measure of God’s grace upon our lives is greater. When I think of the grace of God, I picture His mighty hand upon us, empowering us and enabling us to do the impossible. This is why Jesus said with God nothing is impossible to him who believes.
Mercy here speaks of God’s uncertain affinity or His compassion displayed to us. God’s mercy is available to all people. God is not holding His mercy back from anyone who would humble themselves before the Living God and cry out for mercy. He takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. He gives people sufficient time to repent. No matter the depths of a person’s sin, the mercy of God is greater because what Jesus accomplished on the cross is greater.
Peace speaks of the quietness and rest that is found in Jesus Christ. Through the finished work of Jesus Christ, we find rest. We find freedom from our sin and we find rest from trying to live perfectly according to the law. In Christ we have been declared righteous before Almighty God. There is nothing we can do to earn our righteousness and God would rather have us rest in Christ finished work and simply live for Him every day. To walk with Him step in step and allow us to lead us in every area of our lives.
All that we have comes from Jesus Christ. This is why John’s focus and emphasis is on the truth. False teachers had infiltrated the church and through the influence of Satan, were sowing seeds of lies and deception. It was corrupting the faith of believers and paralyzing them spiritually.
The way the apostles always dealt with false teachers and false teaching is preaching and teaching sound doctrine. When our lives are built upon sound doctrine and a right understanding of truth, we will walk in victory and freedom. No matter what Satan throws at us we will overcome. But truth is the key. We must value the truth of God’s word above all else. Our faith and practice must be based on truth and that truth is only found in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Son of the Father, in truth and love. Jesus is the only begotten of the Father. Pure love can only be found in uncompromised truth. Anything else that is called love that is not based on truth is simply lie and deception. All of us desire to be loved and accepted because there is a part of us that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can complete. When our lives are built upon the truth of who Jesus is, is when we will come to truly know real and lasting love.