2 John 9-11 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds.
‘The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth…’ That’s how John begins his second epistle. But the learned ‘scriptologists’ can’t decide if he was really writing to a personal acquaintance, or to a church and its followers. It works both ways, but there’s no hard evidence to verify any. However, he’s talking to them about people who skew the gospel for their own benefit and purpose. In Vs.7 he claims, ‘For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.’ Here, he’s referring to what you might call the early pseudo Christians, who denied that the Son of God actually took human form. But to deny that, according to John, denies the whole basis of Christianity. So he’s admonishing them not to listen to anyone who doesn’t teach Christ actually born, crucified and resurrected. This was possible because the early church was scattered all over, with no resident pastors, so they depended on itinerant preachers visiting to share and teach the Word, and they survived on the hospitality of the local believers. That’s why John’s warning them about whom they listened to. For, ‘Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.’ Thus they should not welcome anyone into their homes, as a preacher or teacher, unless they taught the full doctrine of Christ, which entails actual human form, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. John went even further and told them not to even wish that person God speed, since that would be encouraging them in their evil deeds. Ah Friends, we can also apply that same basic lesson today, for there are lots of the antichrist kind prowling around this crazy, evil world of ours. We’ve got to be very careful whom we listen to and follow. John’s admonition is a good place to start, but with two thousand years of experience, the antichrist teachers have also become very sophisticated, and know just which buttons to push to ignite doubts in our minds, doubts they then jump on with their own brand of Christianity. It’s certainly amazing how the one faith has morphed into so many different sects and religions over its two thousand years, causing so much dissension, and making it difficult to know whom to believe. But Friends, the best place to start is with the Word; read it yourself, listen to those who preach its fullness, then finish with the Word again. Much LOVE!…when in doubt…follow the Good Book…it’ll never lead you astray…
‘The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth…’ That’s how John begins his second epistle. But the learned ‘scriptologists’ can’t decide if he was really writing to a personal acquaintance, or to a church and its followers. It works both ways, but there’s no hard evidence to verify any. However, he’s talking to them about people who skew the gospel for their own benefit and purpose. In Vs.7 he claims, ‘For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.’ Here, he’s referring to what you might call the early pseudo Christians, who denied that the Son of God actually took human form. But to deny that, according to John, denies the whole basis of Christianity. So he’s admonishing them not to listen to anyone who doesn’t teach Christ actually born, crucified and resurrected. This was possible because the early church was scattered all over, with no resident pastors, so they depended on itinerant preachers visiting to share and teach the Word, and they survived on the hospitality of the local believers. That’s why John’s warning them about whom they listened to. For, ‘Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.’ Thus they should not welcome anyone into their homes, as a preacher or teacher, unless they taught the full doctrine of Christ, which entails actual human form, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. John went even further and told them not to even wish that person God speed, since that would be encouraging them in their evil deeds. Ah Friends, we can also apply that same basic lesson today, for there are lots of the antichrist kind prowling around this crazy, evil world of ours. We’ve got to be very careful whom we listen to and follow. John’s admonition is a good place to start, but with two thousand years of experience, the antichrist teachers have also become very sophisticated, and know just which buttons to push to ignite doubts in our minds, doubts they then jump on with their own brand of Christianity. It’s certainly amazing how the one faith has morphed into so many different sects and religions over its two thousand years, causing so much dissension, and making it difficult to know whom to believe. But Friends, the best place to start is with the Word; read it yourself, listen to those who preach its fullness, then finish with the Word again. Much LOVE!…when in doubt…follow the Good Book…it’ll never lead you astray…
SCRIP-BITS 