Loving One Another in Truth and Love Part 1: The Theology of It - 2 John 1:1-3

1:55Before we start 2 John, I just want to ask you a question. How is your love life? How's your love life doing? How are you doing with that? And I don't mean in the romantic sense. I mean in the way you love people around you. How do you love? What is characteristic of your love for one another? There is a kind of love that comes at the expense of truth. And there is a kind of horn that distracts you.

2:37But you're not to pay attention to that. But there is a kind of love that takes away or comes at the expense of truth. And there is a kind of truth that comes at the expense of love. And as we start this, I want you to understand how God wants us to love. God wants us to love in love and He wants us to love each other in truth, loving one another in truth and in love. What does that look like? Well, that's exactly how God loved us. He didn't set aside truth to love us. And yet, in spite of the truth and our situation, he did what was necessary to bring us into a right relationship because he loved us. So truth and love are wed together, and God never separates the two. And it is to characterize our love for one another, our love for the church.

3:36Well, if we could imagine a United States of America with all of its wonderful roads. By the way, if you enjoy driving on the roads that we have in this great country, hug a civil engineer. They're the ones who brought that about. But if you could imagine for just a second our elaborate road system that we have in the United States and no hotels. Let's suppose the entrepreneurs of hotels and lodging didn't keep up with our civil engineers in the roads. We would have roads that we could travel everywhere on, but no real lodging place along the way. Well, if you can go back, if I can take you back 2,000 years. That's really the situation that's happening in the Roman Empire. This Rome, from the time of Augustus through the first five Caesars, there were largely, it was a time of peace. It was a time of great expansion. Yes, there were revolts. Yes, it was a time of great persecution for Christians, but largely Rome was not being threatened from outsiders. We might compare that to the maybe the Pox Americana that we could describe maybe from post-World War II. Yes, there were some wars, but largely we've grown up in a time of peace and very thankful for that. Well, if you can compare that to what is happening in the first couple centuries there in the Roman Empire, you have all these roads, but you have very little lodging.

5:27And the ends that were in use were hit or miss and not always safe. And so you have this road system and you have the spread of Christianity largely. God and His providence had provided a nice road system and Christianity was allowed to spread a lot more rapidly because of that. But there was a problem because there wasn't the lodging. And so much of That those first generations of Christians, there was a lot, there was the itinerant apostles, there were the itinerant prophets, and they were the itinerant preachers. Until the church came under established and elder-led, and the leadership of the church got solidified and set up in congregations, there was a lot of itinerant preaching going on. And so, in order to facilitate lodging for them, they would stay in the homes of the members of the church. Christian hospitality was practiced, and much of the loving of strangers, as the word hospitality involves, was welcoming these itinerant ministers and families and whatever into your home. That was the lodging place. And it was the way you showed hospitality, it's the way you supported the ministry, it is the way you demonstrated the love that Christ wants in his church. But it also brought about with it an issue.

7:15There was no shortage of people who were taking advantage of Christian hospitality. There was a people who understood, you know. Christians are nice. They're welcoming. And so, in this itinerant preaching world, it created an issue. And by the time John wrote his letters, the business of masquerading as so-called prophets was quite lucrative. And they would go from church to church, capitalizing on Christian hospitality. And certainly, as the apostles, as they first went out under the lordship of Christ and his leadership, they remember his command when he sent them out: take nothing for your journey, neither a staff nor a bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not even have two tunics. Wherever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. And so these principles, though one could argue they weren't necessary in the transition time, they certainly were in the minds and hearts as the church would go forward. And this became the standard that people would draw. What does a true minister of the gospel look like? Well, you fall back on when Jesus first sent out the 12 and then the 70. They were not to be, it was not for themselves. It was for communicating the gospel, spreading the good news, and they were strictly forbidden to capitalize on that. Well, that is the situation now in the first century. In fact, the problem was so blatant that even non-Christians picked up on this abuse of Christian hospitality. There is a Syrian Greek named Lucian that wrote this satire about this individual who took advantage of Christian hospitality. In fact, in his work, he draws this picture of this individual who really found the easiest way possible to live a life without working. And it was this guy named Peregrinus, who basically just learned to live off of Christian hospitality.

9:55What is the easiest way to make a living? Well, there were some who cashed in on Christian hospitality. They grew lazy, and that was the situation. They knew how to capitalize on generous Christians. There's no shortage of that today, right? In fact, it was such an issue that another document that is supposedly written by some of the earlier church leaders who were trying. To summarize the teaching of the twelve on this, and certainly this is apocryphal, this is pseudo-pigraphal called the Didake, or in the English translation, would be the teaching of the twelve, give instructions. It's kind of like a Christian, an early Christian manual about how to deal with a lot of different things. And one of them was dealing with these itinerant preachers and teachers. And so, though it is certainly not relevatory, it doesn't have relevatory authority, it does give us a window or a snapshot into what some of the issues were and certainly surrounding this issue of itinerant preaching and their masquerading and they're taking advantage of. In fact, we have it in the library, you can go read it, but let me just read to you a few excerpts from it, and you'll get a flavor of what it's about here. It says, Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as if he were the Lord. So, the default is you welcome him, but he is not to stay more than a day unless there is a need, in which case he may stay another. But if he stays three days, guess what? He's a false prophet. Need to keep moving. And when the apostle leaves, he is to take nothing except bread until he finds his next night's lodging. But if he asks for money, guess what? He's a prophet. That's how you can do. Tell. If he comes in and it's like, hey, by the way, you know, my journey's a little bit longer, a little bit of cash. False prophet. Not everyone who speaks in the spirit is a prophet, but only if he exhibits the Lord's way. You can see there's a problem of people masquerading around, right? By his conduct, therefore, will the false prophet and the prophet be recognized. Furthermore, any prophet who orders a meal in the spirit shall not partake of it. If he does, he is a false prophet. Oh, the spirit's coming upon me. We need a big banquet tonight. Well, if it's really the spirit, he's not to eat of it.

12:41But obviously, if he's hungry and he's starting to get, he's a false prophet if he starts eating from it. If anyone teaches the truth yet does not practice what he teaches, he is a false prophet. Everyone who comes in the name of the Lord is to be welcomed, but then examine him, and you will find out, for you will have insight what is true and what is false. If the one who comes is merely passing through, assist him, but he must not stay with you for more than two, if necessary, three days. However, if he wishes to settle among you and is a craftsman, let him work for his living. But if he is not a craftsman, decide according to your own judgment how he should live among you as a Christian, yet without being idle. But if he does not wish to cooperate in this way, then he is trading. On Christ, beware of such people.

13:35There are many that make a trade on Jesus today, isn't there? In fact, we tolerate a lot of laziness and idleness in our Christian subcultures that we would never tolerate in corporate America. And yet, there seems to be no shortage of individuals who want to take advantage of Christian hospitality, who want to assert their own ministerial importance, their own missionary status, and yet they are idle. They are not of God at all. They have found themselves a nice way to freeload.

14:16And yet, we see that today. It's certainly a problem then. It's been a problem in centuries since then. But the problem went beyond just laziness and wanting a prosperous lifestyle. No, it was beyond that, and John is going to address that. You see, they had to adopt a theology that allowed their fleshly indulgences. And that theology they did not get from Christ. They did not learn Christ. In that way, nor did they learn it from the apostles. And so, sometime at the end of the first century, sometime around 90, 95-ish, so I mentioned last time, John wrote this letter addressing a manifestation of this problem in a local church. Some people in the local church were accepting or were greeting and welcoming such false teachers. And that's what that's the issue that 2 John addresses.

15:38Look at verse 1: The elder to the elect, to the chosen lady and her children. Literally, the old man, that's the author. The old man's writing this, the elder. And he's not just using elder in the official title sense, but he's using it in a much more sense of respect, his relationship to the community, that fatherly figure. He is the elder, the man of wisdom, the man of fatherly concern, the man who is respected. He's the one writing.

16:26And he's writing to the chosen lady. And her children, the chosen lady. That's literally the word for Lord, the feminine side, the leading lady. Who is this leading lady and who are her children? That's really the only major, and it's not even really major in my mind, interpretive issue in the book. The rest is very straightforward, what you're going to see. And here, there's not a lot of debate as to what it's about or how it's addressing. But who is this chosen lady and who are her children? Well, there's really two schools of thought. Either the lady is an individual and her children, and her literal children of her household, or the lady is a symbol, or not a symbol, but a code for the church and the children, the congregants, which would be something which is not an you see that in Peter, the one who is in Babylon, you know, his code for church and that kind of thing.

17:46So it's very possible that it could be an individual or a church. I'll comment more as we go through the letter about verses that might point one way or the other. The other. But in the end, it doesn't matter, really, because it's very clear that this message is intended for the church and church members. That if this is a lady and her own children inviting, that is just one instance of what's happening in the church, and it shouldn't be happening in the church. Regardless, John's message is very clear. He wants individuals loving one another in truth and love, and he wants to explain what that means. You're not loving somebody when you're compromising the truth. And so, truth and love go together, and he is going to address this as he goes through, and he's going to teach us what loving one another in truth and love looks like.

18:54So, I mentioned earlier, there's a kind of love that comes at the expense of truth, but that's not the love that comes from God at all. And then there is a kind of truth that comes at the expense of love, and that is not the truth that comes from God either. And so, John wants his readers to love one another in truth, and he wants to know, wants to teach us how to do that. I've broken this short letter out in. To three parts. First, John's theology, looking at the first three verses, the joy, John's joy in verses four through six, and then John's concern in verses seven through thirteen. So you have here the theology, John's theology of those who walk in truth or those who love in truth, and then he's going to deal with the threat. So a theology is going to lead into the threat to loving one another in truth and love. So that's what gospel, or that's what the letter is about. Well, this morning, I just want us to look at the theology of it, loving one another in truth, and the theology of it. And there are three foundational truths, three foundational truths that will lay out a theology for loving one another in truth. So first, first foundational truth is the connection that exists between truth and love, the connection, and it is unbreakable. It is unbreakable. Look back at the extent. I look back at verse 1: the elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but all who know the truth. Look at that. This lady is really loved, right? Look at it. She's loved. Who's she loved by? Well, she's loved by John, right? Whom I love in the truth. But it's not just John that loves her, right? And not only I, but also all who know the truth. John loved her, and everybody who knew the truth knows the truth, having come to know the truth, loves her. Now, that's pretty popular, lady, wouldn't you say? Everyone who knows the truth.

21:36I think this is one reason why lady is better understood as referring to a church. If it is an individual lady, it would be difficult to imagine an individual so well known that John would make some sort of a statement, but also all who know the truth. There's probably only one individual that would come to mind, and that would be Mary, the mother of Jesus. And she was with John, and John was to take care of her. And so a number of people see that this leading lady, this elect lady, this choice lady, is Mary the mother of Jesus.

22:23And yet it's difficult to imagine that she would still be alive this late in the century. Let alone waiting, letting alone, let alone showing hospitality and welcoming people. It's possible, I guess. But it's not likely, and John was to take care of her, and so John and her would be in two separate locations. So it's a little difficult to land with certainty that it's Mary the mother of Jesus. So it's possible to be some other prominent woman that we just don't know about.

23:08Regardless, the language, the lady and her children, we should think of a church and its members. Whether this was an individual and her literal children, it's still addressing the church and an issue that's happening in the church. And the exhortation is going to come to the church. Like in verse 8, watch yourselves in the plural. There's going to be plurals throughout. He's clearly talking about watching yourself in the context of letting these individuals into a local church.

23:47But regardless, John's point is clear. It's the truth which bound John in love to this lady. And we're to love our neighbors, right? We are to love even our enemies as Christians. But there is a special bond that John is talking about that cements us together as believers in the truth. Specifically, look back, the truth about Christ. This is the truth, whom I love in truth. The truth, what is the truth? Is he talking about? He's talking about specifically the truth revealed in Christ, who he was, what he did, and how he is to be followed. And that's the very thing that's at issue with these false teachers, these antichrists that are going about.

24:47They deny who he was, therefore, what he did, and certainly showing up and how he is to be followed. Their theology was in error, and so their practical lifestyle was in error. John elaborates on this in 1 John 2:22. He says, Who is the liar? But the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is the Antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, and the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. And his point, what John is saying.

25:31The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth. His point is that those who are born of the truth love those who are born of the truth. There is a bond. I mean, you think about why do we care what happens to the church in Asia? Why do we give to missions? What interests us there about congregations someplace else, or ministers, or churches that are struggling even close to us? Why do we even care? Because there's something that is born in us. There is a cement that binds us. I've been pouring cement all weeks here for a long time. It just seems like it's one concrete pour after another. You go outside and you can show up next week, there will be another one. And what does that cement do? Well, it takes all those rocks and pebbles and sand and it puts them on. And then that cement is what just binds it all together.

26:42And what's interesting about truth is it's in us and it's with us. And it binds us, connects us together internally, not just superficially. It cannot be broken, not even with the jackhammer, like you can with concrete. It's a stronger, adhesive. But we love the community founded by Christ. Look back at verse 1. We read it again: the elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, that is, in the light of ultimate reality, who I love in truth. And not only I, but also all who know the truth. Look at verse 2: for the sake of the truth, which abides in us and will be with us.

27:45I love you, and so does everyone else for the sake of the truth. And the word there could is the word really a literal would be through. I love you through, or on account of, or because of. In other words, it's the truth that John is saying, why I love you. The truth is why. And notice what he says: the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever. Truth is going to be in us and it will be with us. us forever.

28:33You see, John loved these people not because they went to the same school. We got this Aggie network right here. You got Aggie's got to love Aggies, right? Well, that's good. You know, it's fine. But there's a bond that's stronger than that, right? John didn't love the people in these churches because they went to the same school or even were of the same family or even because they have good chemistry. I mean, you think about how different this body of people are that have assembled this morning. We're very different. And it's not because we even went to the same school of the same family or even because we have good chemistry, right?

29:24We love each other not because we're all compatible in our temperaments or because we're naturally drawn to one another. What is the fundamental adhesive here? It's because of the truth we share. I mean, we're a very eclectic group of individuals up here. What draws us together? Well, we're not from the same clan, but we are all of the truth. And that has created a unity. So we are. To love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to love even our enemies and be good to them.

30:10But we are bound in truth to one another. And because of that, there is a love. John uses the word for love here. It's the word agape. Agape. I love what one commentator says about agape. Agape is not passion with its ebb and flow, with its flicker and flame, nor is it an easygoing and indulgent sentimentalism. And it is not an easy thing to acquire this agape love, or a light thing to exercise. Agape is undefeatable goodwill.

31:13It is the attitude towards others which, no matter what they do, will never feel bitterness and will always seek their highest good. I love that word. What is love? Undefeatable goodwill. That's what love is. That's what this kind of love, God's kind of love, undefeatable goodwill. You see, there's a love that kind of seeks to control something. There's a kind of love that loves to acquire something. There's a kind of love that gives in and acquiesces. There's a kind of love that avoids conflict. There's a kind of love that closes its eyes to sin. There's a kind of love that fails to speak when one is plunging into ruin. But in contrast to that, there's that Christian love, that godlike love, which always seeks the highest good of others, and it will accept all difficulties, all challenges. It will overcome all obstacles and hardships for the purpose of promoting the well-being of others. That's what this undefeatable goodwill is.

32:39And that's how we are to love one another with this undefeatable goodwill, no matter what happens, because of the truth. This is a very odd greeting. John's greeting, there's not another parallel like this, because John is not saying, May this be with you and may that be with you. He's just saying, he's making this statement for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be future tense with us forever into the ages. As long as truth endures, so shall our reciprocal love for one another endure.

33:34So, John's letter is written. Now, can I have a young volunteer? A young volunteer. Come on up. Come on up. I love volunteers. Now, I want you to do something for me. Thank you for the dollar, Pat. Appreciate this. What's your name? Avidel. Thank you for coming up. Now, I want you to do something with that dollar. It's yours if you can tear the back side up without tearing the front side up. You want to try to do that?

34:08Can you tear the, is it going to work? No, it's. Well, you can take it anyway. Thank you for that. Thank you for that, Avidel. Okay, so can you tear the backside without tearing the front side? Neither can you separate love from truth. And that's John's point and going to be. His point through the gospel. You can't separate the two without butchering the other. And that's exactly what the false teachers are doing then and what false teachers do today. So this letter and all of these letters are just as applicable then today as they were then. Well, let's move ahead. Three foundational truths of loving one another, speaking about the theology behind it. First of all, is the connection between trust and love. Second is the blessings associated with being loved in truth. There are blessings associated with being loved in truth. We're talking about being loved in truth from our Heavenly Father and also being loved in truth from each other. Look at these. Look at how this works. Verse 3. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us.

35:40That, those are the blessings. And it's interesting to know, like I said, this is a very unusual greeting. I love the way old men think. I'm quickly becoming one, and I think I'm there. But you know what old men do? We forget a lot of things. But what we do remember is important. And think about John here. Grace and mercy and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. You know what's interesting is he doesn't use the word may. Like, may grace, may peace, may mercy be. He doesn't, when you get old, you don't skip all the small talk. Look, you're a chosen lady. Listen, you're in the truth. Therefore, guess what? Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us forever.

36:49So I don't need to say may because it's a reality. If you're in Christ, grace, mercy, and peace are going to be with you now and forever. That is why you can love one another in truth and grace. You will have that grace and mercy and peace from the Father, but that'll also show up in the way we relate to one another. And that's decisively what's missing from the false teachers of John's days and ours. Grace. What is Grace. It's goodwill and it's favor to the guilty and the undeserving. That's what grace is. Goodwill and favor to the guilty and undeserving. What is mercy? It's compassion to the needy and the helpless. Compassion to the needy and the helpless. And this is what God's love moved him to do, right? We were guilty and undeserving. We were needy and helpless. So guess what we needed? Goodwill. God's goodwill and his compassion and peace. Grace, mercy, and peace. What is peace? It speaks about tranquility.

38:12It speaks about harmony of relationship. We need harmony with our heavenly Father. That's what salvation is about. Grace is the free provision of it. Mercy speaks of our need for it, but peace speaks of the salvation condition itself being at harmony with God our Father and harmony with one another in truth. But I love what he says. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father. And as he said in verse 2. Truth will be in us and with us forever.

39:05Same duration. As long as truth and love exists, and how long is that? Forever. As long as truth and love exist, guess what? Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us. That's a long time. It's going to take forever to understand what we have in Christ. The truth extends forever, and grace, mercy, and peace will be with us. As long as truth shall endure, love manifests itself in peace, mercy, and grace in and through the community formed by truth.

40:01So, John's theology. He sees the connection between truth and love. He sees the blessings associated with being loved in truth. And he ties all of that to the source of truth and love. Look at the second part of verse 3. Grace and mercy and peace be with us, will be, future indicative, this will happen with us. Who? From God the Father, from Jesus Christ. The Son of the Father in truth and love. So, grace, mercy, and peace will be with us in truth and love from God the Father, Jesus Christ. And notice how he qualifies Jesus Christ here: the Son of the Father. The Son of the Father. That's the source.

40:53The Son of the Father. And this is going to be what's at issue in 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, as there are those who deny the Son, deny that relationship. So you're going to get right into first-century theology proper and Christology. What's the relationship of the Son to the Father and Christ to the Father? John's going to deal with all of that. But what I want you to see right here now is the source of truth. The source of truth and love is this relation, is the Father, Christ, the Son of the Father.

41:39You see, the connection between truth and love and the blessings associated with it are directly tied to the relationship between Father and Son, between God and the expression of Himself, Father, Son, that bond. You see, the church community, our community, came into existence by the truth. And you know that because this community exhibits love. That is how John, how do you describe a community that has been founded by truth? Well, if it's been founded upon truth, born of truth, it will be exhibited in love. So the church community, that's what church is about. It's created by truth and it's exhibited in love. And so when you get these schools of thought or these powerful individuals that are coming in that deviate from the truth or do not manifest genuine love, beware of them. That's what John is saying.

42:56You see, there's a kind of love, as I said earlier, that grows soft. But there's a kind of love that does not undermine our loyalty to the truth. Love does not undermine loyalty to the truth. And it never uses truth as a weapon to bludgeon others. One commentator said it well. Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth grows hard if it is not softened by love. Scripture commands us both to love each other in the truth and to hold the truth in love.

43:54This morning, just looking at, as we begin looking at loving one another in truth, there is the theology that underpins it. There is a connection, an indissoluble connection between truth and love. There are blessings that are forever associated with being loved in truth, and those source of that comes straight from relationship, triune relationship, father and son, spirit. But loving one another in truth and love is the way that Jesus loved us. And so that is the way he wants us to love.

44:33John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Vertical components. That's what truth is about. Then there's a horizontal component. John 3, 34, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all men will know you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Truth and love cannot be. Separated. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for your goodness in the truth that you've given us. We thank you, Father, that you have not left us without a light to our path and a lamp to our feet. Father, you very much intend for your people to be able to distinguish between the true and the false, be able to discern what is a true teaching from you and a false teaching that rises from those who are in opposition to you. Father, we thank you for the light that you give us in John's letters. Father, help us to be a community that truly love. Father, how is our love? Help us to love the way you want us to love in truth and love. In Christ's name, amen.