We Should Love One Another: 2 John 5-8

2 John 5-8 (LEB)

5 And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another.

            The command to love one another came from Jesus. He said a new command I give you that you love one another. When Paul lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the first and foundational is love. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that without love, we are nothing. Regardless of how many spiritual gifts we use or how much we accomplish for the kingdom of God, without love, we are nothing. 

            This is not a new command for the believers John is writing to. When John says lady, he is addressing the body of Christ. This letter John writes can be read in any local congregation of believers, and we can learn and grow from it. We are told that all scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training (2 Timothy 3:16). Everything we do concerning life and doctrine is based on the word of God. John shows us how important the call to love is. Those who are blinded by the devil will recognize us and be drawn to us because of our love for one another. But sadly, some today have allowed themselves to become blinded and even bite and devour each other over issues that are not eternal or kingdom-related. 

 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.

            What does love look like? It is shown through walking according to God’s command. Our love for Jesus is displayed in how we live every day. We all start by choosing to follow Christ. But have we truly handed our hearts to Him? Have we made Him the foundation on which we build everything? It is impossible to walk in love if we are living in disobedience. 

            What is the commandment we have heard from the beginning? To love one another. It is not a suggestion from God or just a good idea; it is a command. The true follower of Jesus Christ is called to walk in love. Can we do this on our own strength or power? No. It requires staying connected daily to The Holy Spirit. We must live in constant fellowship with The Holy Spirit. It is The Holy Spirit that produces the love of God in us. As we grow in the word of God, we are transformed by the supernatural work of The Holy Spirit. But our ability to walk in obedience to God's commands is directly linked to our ability to abide in Him. 

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist!

            The word deceivers means deceive; deceitful. Deceitful (duplicitous) — marked by deliberate actions deceptiveness.[1] Those who are deceivers or what John calls anti-Christ are people who intentionally twist the word of God. We live in an era of great deception because information is more available than ever. Often, how that information is presented is distorted and manipulated. Those who want to control the world through the power and influence of the enemy know that to control people, you must capture their hearts and minds with lies and deception.

            But truth is found in Jesus Christ. Those who fail to adhere to the doctrinal truth of Jesus Christ are considered anti-Christ. In John’s day, it was those who did not confess that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, meaning He fully became a man. Some claimed that Jesus was simply a man and that on the cross, The Christ or anointing came upon Him. This deception was born in hell, and all who believed it were led astray. 

            But John’s desire as an elder and spiritual father is that those who are truly called by God and being saved build their lives upon the word of God and truth. The only way we can truly be free is to build our lives on the truth of who Jesus is. To rightly understand who Jesus is, we must open the word of God and be led by the Holy Spirit. I am thankful for all those who are gifted and anointed to preach and teach the word. But our greatest teacher and guide is the Holy Spirit. Our intimacy with the Holy Spirit is key in our relationship with God and our ability to walk in freedom and truth. The more we rightly understand truth, the more we will simply walk in the freedom God has promised us in His word. 

 8 Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.

            The word "watch" means to see. To see is to perceive by sight or to have the ability to perceive by sight.[2] We are called to be vigilant as believers and followers of Jesus. How could we miss out on the reward God has for us? By falling into deceptive doctrine. It is God who ultimately saves us and leads us into the kingdom of heaven. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and we are kept by God's grace. But the rewards we will receive in His kingdom depend on our faithfulness to His truth and what we did with the gifts we were given.

            Everyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ will face the judgment seat of Christ. It is not about whether we are saved, but about what rewards we will receive in His kingdom. We will rule and reign with Jesus because of His finished work and all He has done. However, our role in His kingdom depends on our stewardship now. Our accountability today is based on how we are using the gifts and talents God has entrusted to us.

            Each of us has an anointing from God, and it is that anointing that allows us to accomplish everything God has called us to do. However, our ability to faithfully live for God ultimately depends on our abiding in Christ and His truth. As we remain in Him, the Holy Spirit enables us to be vigilant and follow the Lord as He has called us in His word. He is faithful, and His grace is enough. But to access it, we must stay connected to Him and stay in His truth. 

Prayer

Father, thank you for your grace. Help me each day to build my life on the truth of your word. Help me to walk in love and be led and guided by the Holy Spirit in all things. Holy Spirit, help me to recognize your leading and voice. Father, prune from my life anything that would hinder your work within me. Help me see all you want me to see. Help me to have a right understanding of the truth and to apply it to my life rightly. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

[1] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).

[2] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).