This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.

2 John from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

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 because of the truth which remains 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 overjoyed to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received a 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 are to 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 remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching 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 complete.

¹³ The children of your chosen sister greet you.

Today’s text says: This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you are to walk in it. 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. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains 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, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. The world, and even many in the church distort the truth about love. 1 John 4:19 says: We love because He first loved us. In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus says: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”  We cannot truly love until we have received the love of God which is given and demonstrated to us in the cross. Before we can love others, we must first, in response to His love, love Him with our whole heart, soul and mind.  In John 14:15 Jesus says: “If you love me, you will keep My commandments.” Those who distort the truth about love, saying that to love means to embrace the actions, decisions and teachings of others, go too far and will not receive a full reward.

In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” If we even relax the commandments of God to embrace the unrighteousness of our culture, we not only teach other that it is okay, we participate in their evil deeds. We become least in the kingdom of heaven. It is not hypocrisy to stand against immorality and lawlessness. Quite the opposite, Romans 12:9 says: Love must be free of hypocrisy detest what is evil; cling to what is good. True hypocrisy would be for us disparage the demonstration of His love and to embrace the very things that Jesus suffered and died to redeem us from. In John 15:21-24 Jesus says: “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him… If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

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. Amen.