THE SECOND
LETTER OF JOHN !!
..
The Second Letter of John was written by the Elder
to the dear Lady and to her children, probably meaning a local church and its
members. The brief message is an appeal
to love one another and a warning against false teachers and their teachings.
In this Second Epistle the apostle John (though
critics deny that it was THAT John!) writes to a married lady about matters
that are just as needful for us to heed nigh on 2000 years later.
* * * * * * * * * *
1. THE
PROLOGUE OF THE LETTER
Note the emphasis upon the truth
in some places
it means the TRUTH
the basic doctrines of the Christian Faith.
2. THE
PURPOSE OF THE LETTER
(a) Being orthodox in doctrine
is not sufficient. We are also to live
in love (v. 6).
Here is a mathematical equation to sum up what John
is saying in these verses
That is ORTHODOXY (correct doctrine) without CHARITY (Divine Love, 1 Corinthians 13:13 K.J.V.) is FUTILITY!
(b) Not
only are we to follow the True Teaching
lovingly
but now we are
reminded that we are to avoid the False Teaching
earnestly! (vv 7-11).
(i) In
Johns day the false teachers were the Gnostics
a heresy that denied the
perfect humanity of our Lord Jesus (v. 7).
Notice in Johns First Epistle (1:1) how he commences by stressing that
he had personally seen and touched the Lord Jesus.
(ii) Today
a host of erroneous teachings have arisen concerning the Person and Work of our
Lord Jesus.
(iii) John
Newton wrote
What think ye of Christ is
the test
To try both your state and
your scheme;
You cannot be right in the
rest
Unless you think rightly of
Him.
The Bible teaches that He was God manifest in the flesh that He died for our sins and rose again bodily the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and it is by faith in Him we appropriate the salvation He has provided (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We must be careful not to encourage nor support
false teachers (v. 11!!), which makes me glad I do not belong to a church
associated with the World Council of Churches!
3. THE
POST-SCRIPT OF THE LETTER
The page of parchment has run out
besides it is
not always wise to commit things to writing (v. 12). Thats when the trouble starts
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