“The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.
“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 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 1:1-11 ESV)
We don’t know here if the lady being spoken of is an individual woman who has the church meeting in her house, or if the woman is the church which is meeting in someone’s home. Therefore the children being spoken of could be her natural birth children, and/or they could be her spiritual children through their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I don’t think it really matters. What matters is the message that John was conveying to her.
For it is rejoicing for any Christian parent to have his/her children walking (in conduct, in practice) in the truth (Jesus Christ, the gospel, righteousness). And the same is true for any follower of Christ to see and to witness their fellow believers in Christ walking in the truth and in righteousness and in walks of obedience to the Lord in holy living, and no longer in sin. That is cause for great rejoicing, especially in the times we now live when so many have deserted the true gospel of salvation and are following after an altered gospel, instead, designed to appease and to be acceptable to the ungodly.
And again we enter into this subject of love for God and for one another, which is all throughout the book of 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, and is all throughout the teachings in the New Testament to the New Testament church. And, again, this is agape love, which is based in moral preference, and which prefers what God prefers. And what God prefers is all that is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to God. And so we will do for others what is godly and moral and upright, and we will not deliberately and habitually sin against other human beings.
And to love others with this love, and to love God with this love, is to obey the commands of our Lord which teach holy living and dying to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord as required of God for saving faith, which then results in eternal life with God. For Jesus said 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. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, we have eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; 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 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
So, we need to be on the lookout for those who are not teaching self-denial, and dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands as evidence and as the outgrowth of the life of a true follower of Jesus Christ who is committed to the Lord and to serving him with his life. For there are many deceivers among us who are convincing people that they can profess faith in Jesus Christ and now be on their way to heaven, but regardless of how they live, even if they continue in habitual sin. But that just is not true to the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles.
Therefore we are to watch ourselves, so that we don’t lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. For whoever goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God, even if they profess faith in Jesus Christ. For we have to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his teachings and to his commandments (New Covenant), and we must forsake our sinful practices, or else we will die in our sins, and we will not have eternal life with God. So don’t receive any teachings that let you believe you can continue in sin and living for self and still have eternal life with God.
[Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-14; John 10:1-15; Romans 16:17-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]
Full Release
An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
https://vimeo.com/115169203
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