Friday, September 9, 2022

 

Friday, September 9, 2022


Psalm 21

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

2 John


And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments...


The lectionary is really treating us well this week by taking us through all three of John's letters. His first letter has gone over the core principles of discipleship and the gospel message: that everything is grounded in love, and that love comes from God as revealed in the God-man Jesus Christ.


In this, the second letter of John's that we have, along with the third, we get two sides of the same coin. Now that we have been given this gospel message, and gather as a church with other people who also love the Lord Jesus, we cannot take the multi-faceted jewel of Christ and turn it into a two-dimensional line drawing. Truth and love go together. To love is to be true. To be true is to love.


2 John is written to the elect lady. Some people claim this a euphemism for a specific church. Others, who look at 2 and 3 John together, think this is a specific woman, running her own home church. It certainly sounds like a good community of faith to belong to. Their love for each other is so strong and enduring they will let in just about anyone. But this is what John is concerned about. Their love has become two-dimensional. Love does not ignore truth. If the truth is watered down and lost, then so too will the love. God is both the source of all truth and of all love. To really love properly needs fidelity to the truth of where that love comes from. This is a positive, encouraging message: if we want to be able to love more (and better), always hold to what is true.



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