Do not receive him into your house...

2 John (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

¹ The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, ² for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 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.

⁴ I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. ⁵ Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. ⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; ¹¹ for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

¹² Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full.

The chosen lady and her children John addresses here is not a woman but rather, the church and it’s members. John says he was very glad to find “some” of the members walking in truth. The word some tells us that certainly not all were walking this way and perhaps not even most or many. In that time just as in our time church membership is no assurance of truly being a follower of Christ. John cites two very basic measures of Faith. He says:     “ Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”      John does not get into a lengthy list of ritual or regulation. He does not speak of works of service or tithes and offerings. John says simply that the measure of faith he speaks of, the measure that only “some” measure up to is that we love one another. He does add the second qualifier though, saying, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments.”  

According to John then we can love one another and fall short of Christ if we do not keep His commandments. Conversely we can keep His commandments but if we do not love one another we fall short of Christ. Jesus Himself says:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” And:  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:34-35) To both John and Jesus these two are inseparable. We must both love one another and keep Jesus commandments. It is important to note that the love for one another spoken of here as well as much of the love for our brothers spoken of, in l the letters to the churches, in the New Testament, is speaking of the love we should have for fellow believers, other followers of Christ.  We are commanded to love others also. Jesus spoke of loving your neighbor, that would include both believers and unbelievers. The motive of our love changes though whether we are loving a neighbor or a brother. The love we have for a brother in the Lord Jesus says is to be a love that is in the same way as He loved us. We are to love and serve, encourage, teach and exhort our fellow believers to walk according to the commandments of Jesus. The love we have and demonstrate to our neighbors, to unbelievers should also be like the love Jesus demonstrated for them. It should be a love that leads them to the cross of Christ where the ultimate love of God was displayed for all mankind.   

John continues:  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. One of the greatest deceptions of our present time, one that is professed and believed by many, is that unconditional love means unconditional acceptance, tolerance and inclusion. Our culture, our society and many in the church have wrongly believed and declare that in order to love like Christ, in order to love our neighbor we need to accept and tolerate everything that they believe, everything that they do and everything that they want. Jesus did associate with sinners and unrighteous people. But let’s look at what He said about why He did it. In Luke 5:29-32 we read:

Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus association with sinners was never an acceptance of their sin. Jesus did not tolerate or condone sin. He came to call sinners to repentance. The love and sacrifice of Jesus  on the cross was not so that sinners could continue in their sin, rather it is so that: whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) That’s the love God and Jesus have for the world and that’s the love we too are to have.

Contrary to the deceptive teaching that we need to tolerate and embrace everyone and  everything, John says:     “ Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; ¹¹ for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”

The greeting in John’s day was an embrace and a kiss. In the same way if we as believers embrace the sin of others, if we know their unrighteousness intimately, if we receive them into our spiritual house, we participate in their evil deeds. The true love we are called to have for the world is not acceptance or tolerance. True love speaks the truth. True love points to the cross of Christ, not a place or act of unconditional acceptance but a place of unconditional forgiveness. Forgiveness to all to all who believe and as John says in 1 John 1:5-10

 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, my redeemer and the Light of the world; precious Holy Spirit help me to love as You love. Help me to love in a way that points to the forgiveness and sacrifice of the cross. Make me slow to judge, quick to forgive but always points to truth. Help me to keep Your commandments and encourage other to do the same in love.   Amen.