Introduction to 2 John

Discernment is one of the most important disciplines that we can develop in our lives.  God has called us to be wise in the way that we walk.  It would be so nice if everyone was honest and transparent about their motives in life.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  There are many people who will claim to be believers who have been deceived or they themselves are deceivers.  We must be able to discern the difference between those who are genuine in their faith and intentions and those who are out to destroy the faith by propagating false doctrines.  

THE DELIGHT OF HOSPITALITY: It is a great joy to be able to enjoy fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  John obviously writes to a sister in Christ with whom he has enjoyed this sweet fellowship.  However, this kind of fellowship finds its basis in genuine Christian love and obedience to the Word of God.  This seems to be a wonderful family where the children of this sister in Christ are being a great example of this love and obedience.  Certainly, one of the greatest blessings to being a part of the body of Christ is the fellowship we can have with one another.  There is a wonderful camaraderie in the body of Christ when we walk in love and obedience.


THE DANGERS OF HOSPITALITY: Unfortunately, there are those who see the gracious nature of believers and want to take advantage of our hospitality and exploit our love.  These people are deceivers who in John’s day were traveling from church to church teaching false doctrines that denied the incarnation of Christ.  This was a significant danger in the church and could easily destroy the body if left unchecked.  John warns his sister in Christ to be on the alert for these false teachers and to refuse to cooperate with them.  It is not a contradiction of the commandment to love when we refuse to have fellowship with false teachers.  In reality, when we break off fellowship with those who claim to be Christians but spread false teachings; we are demonstrating genuine love.  Our motivation is to shock them into recognizing the error of their way and leading them to repentance so that they can be restored to fellowship.  We must not become facilitator of false doctrine.

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