The elder,
To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
The children of your chosen sister send their greetings.
My Understanding: This letter is addressed to the “chosen lady and her children.” It is not exactly clear if this is referring to a specific godly woman and her children, or if this is a metaphorical term for the true church in a specific location, and for her offspring (individual believers in Christ). It could be either, but it is more likely, by the context of the letter, that he is writing this to a specific congregation of believers in Jesus Christ. Also, the song the Lord placed in my mind this morning, which is based off of Isaiah 41, is a communication between God and his chosen people. And we, the true church, are God’s chosen people. So, I believe that I am to, thus, consider this to be a communication truly between God and his true church, as John’s words were God-breathed and are included in scripture.
Then, John said something interesting that I am not sure I really picked up on before, though I may have, and that is he continued his address to the chosen lady and her children by stating, “Whom I love in the truth.” Not only did he love the chosen lady and her children in the truth, but everyone who knows the truth, and because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever, also loved the chosen lady and her children, which thus gives even more credence to the concept that this is speaking of the true church and her offspring (new converts and/or individual believers in Jesus). The chosen lady could be a collective term for the whole congregation, whereas “her children” could be terminology associated with individual believers in Jesus Christ, whether or not they are new believers in Christ.
Love and Truth
What jumped out to me here is how John was intrinsically linking love and truth together, as though they were inseparable, i.e. together they formed one continuous circle. The truth is not only found within the pages of the Bible, God’s revealed and God-breathed words to us, but the truth of God dwells within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus (God) is truth, he is the Word, and the life, and Jesus dwells within the lives of each individual believer in Christ in the person of his Holy Spirit, the third person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit within us is like a spring of living water welling up in us unto eternal life. Thus, the truth also permeates our whole being. The Bible says we have the mind of Christ, because Christ lives in us, and his mind is truth. Love and truth originate with God. And, God’s mercy and grace will be with us if we truly remain in his love and in his truth.
John began this letter by stating that those who abide in God’s truth, and who know the truth (experientially, not just intellectually), and because of God’s truth, and the fact that his truth dwells within the lives of individual believers in Christ, and because love and truth are inseparable, those who love God’s truth (in practice and obedience) also love God’s people. Wow! Do you get what this is saying? If we say we love God’s truth but we don’t love some or any of God’s chosen people, then we don’t really love God or his truth. And, then he went on to explain what love is, so that we understand it. Love is that we walk in obedience to God’s commands. This is not just the way in which we love God, but it is the way in which we love one another. And, his command is that we walk in love.
So, what is this “love” in which we are supposed to walk which is inseparable from truth? God is love, and in him is no darkness – no lies, deceit, etc. If we give “lip service” only to God and/or to others, i.e. we mouth the words “I love you,” and yet it is a lie by how we conduct our lives, then that is not love. So, love is evidence that truth exists, as well as truth is evidence that true love exists, which is why they form an intrinsic circle. You can’t have one without the other. If we say we love someone and then we lie, plot to deceive, manipulate, etc. that person, then that is not love. If we betray confidences or we betray vows, then that is not love or truth. We can say all the nicey-nice stuff in the world to someone, but if we talk bad about him or her behind his or her back, that is not love. Love is truth and truth is love. True love is willing to tell the truth, even if it hurts.
Jesus showed love in two main ways: 1) He told people the truth about their spiritual condition, and 2) He lay down his life for them so that they could be free from bondage to sin. Galatians 6:1-2 is a great example of how we can live this out in our lives:
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
This first of all involved a believer being caught in a sin, then the person confronting the person has to make sure he or she is in a right relationship with God, and then he or she is to lovingly and gently confront the individual with his sin, and to do so for the purpose of restoring the person back to a right relationship with God. As well, Jms 5:19-20 says:
My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Love and Obedience
As I was prayerfully considering these truths on the subject of love and how love and truth are inseparable and are intrinsically linked, one to the other, and how love means obedience to God’s commands, and God’s command is that we walk in love and that we love one another, I decided to read a commentary on the subject to see what someone else thought about John’s words to the chosen lady and her children. The author of that commentary (Zondervan NIV) brought out an interesting point, which definitely fits with I John (the whole book), and that is that if true love can be defined by obedience to God and his commands, and God’s command is that we love one another, then hatred of our brother or sister would thus be obedience to our own sinful natures, and not to God at all. We can’t love God and hate our brother or sister. They don’t mix.
But, that brought an interesting thought to my mind. If hatred is the opposite of love, then what is apathy? Apathy is defined as “lack of interest in anything; inability to feel normal or passionate human feelings or to respond emotionally” (Encarta). Wow! Why is the person unable to feel normal passionate feelings for other human beings? - Because that person lacks love and truth. That sounds a lot like hatred, doesn’t it? I mean, either we love ourselves (self-gratification) or we love others (caring about their needs). If we can’t feel any love or compassion for our fellow man, then that is the direct opposite of love, is it not? And, is hatred not the opposite of love? If we are indifferent and unconcerned about the people of this world, in particular if we are indifferent or unconcerned about the salvation of people’s lives, i.e. caring about whether or not they have the love and truth of Christ dwelling within them, then what is that? How can we say we love God and his truth and yet we do not love the people of this world (and the church) enough to share with them the truth about their spiritual condition, and to be willing to lay down our own reputations in order to see that they can go free from the penalty and the control of sin over their lives?
Love and Deception
In this same commentary (Zondervan NIV), it suggested, on the subject of the many deceivers who have gone out into the world, that those deceivers had left the “believing community” for (to embrace) the world. This brought another interesting thought to mind. If the believing community (the chosen lady) is the true church (indwelt by the Holy Spirit and truth), then to leave this church is to willfully remove oneself from true fellowship with true believers in Christ, and to choose to follow the pattern of this world over and above following Christ and his teachings, especially those teachings with regard to how the true church is supposed to operate in love, one for the other. This is not talking about people leaving the institutional (corporation) church, which is under the head of the U.S. government, not the head of Christ. No, this is speaking of those who separate themselves from other members of the body of Christ in order to follow after Balaam’s error (Jude 1).
What was Balaam’s error? He was willing to curse Israel, God’s chosen people, for profit. True Israel is now the church, i.e. the collective body of individual believers in Jesus Christ who have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (truth) within them. Many of today’s church leaders have followed Balaam’s error by ostracizing, rejecting and kicking out of their congregations true followers of Jesus Christ who tell the truth of the gospel, and this not on the basis of unrepentant sin in the believer’s life, nor on the basis of the teachings of God’s word, but on the basis of the teachings of men, and of wanting to build big churches (institutions; corporations), with complete disregard for the truths of scripture, especially those teachings on how we are to treat one another in Christ. And, they do this for profit (financial gain; reputation; physical growth of their businesses; popularity; acceptance of man). Thus, they do not love God’s “chosen lady and her children,” which also means that they do not love truth. And, in so doing, they have crucified Christ all over again.
And, that brings me to my last point here. These deceivers do not acknowledge Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. He came in the flesh, but how is he still coming in the flesh? He indwells the lives of individual believers in Jesus Christ, so he is coming in the flesh through the “chosen lady.” So, when church leaders or church people reject the “chosen lady and her children,” especially in direct disobedience to the commands of God, then they are also denying Jesus Christ, his truth, and the Father. Thus, they have the spirit of the antichrist within them, and they do not have God – Christ Jesus or the Father, nor does his truth dwell within them. Wow! They have run ahead and have not followed in the teachings of Christ, but instead have followed after man and his teachings, and have thus rejected Christ.
So, the encouragement for us – the chosen lady – is to keep pursuing genuine faith, love and truth, to walk in love and in the truth, to love in truth (speaking the truth in love), to love one another the way Christ loved (and loves) us, to obey Christ’s commands, to be on the lookout for deceivers who would lead you astray by leading you to follow man’s teachings over and above Christ’s teachings and his commands, to continue to follow Christ’s teachings and to discern the difference between what he taught and what men are teaching today, and to not participate with those in ministry whom God has clearly shown you are following the way of Balaam’s error, so that you do not share in their wickedness. As well, when you are persecuted – rejected, ostracized and/or kicked out because of the truth of God’s word living within you, then rejoice – God will uphold you with his righteous right hand, he will not reject you, so don’t be afraid, for he will help you. Amen!
I Will Uphold You / An Original Work / November 4, 2011
Based off of Isaiah 41:8-20; Ephesians 6:10-18
You are My servant; I’ve chosen you.
I’ve not rejected you; I’ve been true.
Do not be fearful; I am with you.
Don’t be alarmed, for I am your God.
I will give you strength, and will help you.
I will uphold you with My right hand.
All who’re against you will be disgraced.
Those who oppose you, they will perish.
Enemies you search, but will not find.
They war against you; nothing will be.
I am your Lord God, who takes your hand;
Says, “Do not fear, for I will help you.”
The poor and needy, water they need.
Their tongues are thirsty; no drop to drink.
I will give answer; not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow from within.
My living water I will outpour
On those who seek Me; and Me adore.
Jesus provided the sacrifice;
For our sins blood bought; He paid the price,
So we’re forgiven all of our sins,
When we invite Him to come within.
He cleanses us from our impure hearts.
His life within us gives a new start.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music (free):
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/i-will-uphold-you
Song on Video:
http://youtu.be/i0LFPI-isSU
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