“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. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” (2 John 1:6-11 ESV)
The apostle John wrote this letter, either to a very specific lady, with regard to her and to her household, or with regard to her and the church that met at her house, or to a specific church fellowship that met in someone’s home, it would appear. He expressed to her that he rejoiced to find that some of her physical children or that some of her spiritual children were walking in the truth. But then he asked that they love one another (see 2 John 1:1-5).
But this is not human love, which is based in how we feel, and which is often based in the one we are loving. This is agape love which centers in moral preference and which prefers what God prefers, which is all that is holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to God and to his commandments (New Covenant). So, as believers in Christ we prefer to live through Christ, and to choose his choices, and to obey them in his power.
For this is (agape) love, that we walk (in conduct, in practice, in lifestyle) according to our Lord’s commandments. For if God we do not obey, in practice, but we continue living in sin and for self, we do not know God, we are not born of God, we are not in fellowship with Christ, we are not saved from our sins, and we don’t have eternal life with God. And it doesn’t matter what our lips profess, for lip service only doesn’t get us into heaven.
Yet there are many deceivers who have gone out into the world, and who have entered into the fellowships of believers in Christ, or into these businesses which are creations of humankind which are called “churches,” and they are lying to the people. And in our day and time many of these deceivers do indeed confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, with their lips, but they use this as a ploy to gain acceptance so they can deceive.
For since the object is to deceive, they first disguise themselves as servants of righteousness and as the Lord’s true sheep so that they gain the acceptance and approval of “the flock” who they are hoping to deceive with their half-truth lies. But they are, in reality, “wolves in sheep’s clothing” out to destroy the sheep with their lies. And they are being quite successful, sadly so, at deceiving the majority, it would appear, here in America.
For they are teaching that we can just acknowledge who Jesus is and what he did for us on that cross, or that we can make a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ, or that we can “pray a prayer” to receive Christ into our lives, and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die, and that it cannot be taken away from us, but regardless of how we live. But that’s not biblical faith.
So we need to watch ourselves so that we do not lose what we worked for, but may win a full reward. For everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide (live in, walk in, continue in) the teaching of Christ, does not have God. And Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity (Luke 9:23-26).
And Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father. For many will stand before him on the day of judgment, calling him “Lord,” and claiming all that they did in his name, and he will say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they would not obey the Lord’s commands (Matthew 7:21-23).
So, if you have people telling you that you can say some words and now you have heaven guaranteed you for life, despite how you live, they are lying to you. For the Scriptures teach that we must forsake our lives of sin and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. And we must continue in these walks of faith steadfast to the end for God to let us into his heaven.
So if anyone comes into your gathering of the body of Christ, and if he brings a teaching that does not teach the necessity of death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands for us to have genuine salvation from sin and eternal life with God, do not receive him and his teaching. For the Scriptures teach that if we continue in sinful practices, and if we do not walk in obedience to God, we do not have eternal life with God.
And we need to be those who are not only humbling ourselves before the Lord in genuine repentance and in genuine walks of faithful obedience to our Lord, but who are praying for all to believe in Jesus Christ with the kind of faith that puts sin to death in our lives and that gives us the strength and the power of God to now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands in holy living, so that we may all have salvation and eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Hear My Cry
By G. M. Eldridge
When my soul is worn and weary
And my eyes are filled with grief,
When my hands in desperation
Reach to heaven for relief,
Would I find the words there waiting
If I had the strength to start?
Could a mortal tongue interpret
All the sorrow of a heart?
Spirit, search me in my weakness,
And discern this growing gray.
Intercede in understanding,
Hear the things I cannot say.
Hear my cry, heav’nly Father,
You have known my ev’ry pain.
You have seen all my sorrow,
Hear my cry once again.
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