Congregational Bible Experience Day #79: 2-3 John, Jude

Introduction

Congregational Bible Experience Day #79
Bible Reading: 2-3 John, Jude

The American philosopher, James Burnham, once wrote: "As a rule, it is not the several values to which a man adheres that reveal most about his character and conduct, but rather the order of priority in which the values are arranged".
In other words, as believers we try to remain faithful to God's commands to both 'believe the truth' and 'be people of love'. Sometimes however, circumstances of life are such that these things - very often in our relationships with unbelieving family and close friends - are set against each other. We want "to be loving", but what if that compromises what God has said about His Truth? Or if we take a firm stand on matters of Truth, do we sacrifice our loving relationships with others? And if so what message does that send them about God and His Gospel? Hard questions that surface in John's smaller letters (postcards, really).
And Jude, the Spirit's final appeal to us to ensure we don't lose our grip on the Truth of Gospel all for the sake of pursuing self-love.

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1 John identified three tests that may be used to distinguish true, genuine faith from a false or fake faith: a truth test - what do I really believe about Jesus? An obedience test  –  do I truly live to honour and please Jesus? And the love test - do I truly love Jesus and my neighbour as myself? However, at a personal and practical level, especially in our relationships with those we know, we are often faced with a tension between a commitment to the truth and our commitment to love that is not easily resolved. It often seems that we cannot be obedient to one without sacrificing the other. Is that true? If so, which has priority? 2 and 3 John provide us with worked examples as to how we should approach these matters.

2 John is the apostle's response to a church that loved too much - for it was in danger of loving wrongly. While "the chosen (or elect) lady and her children" (v1) may be a reference to real woman and her offspring, more likely it is John's way of referring to a particular church with which he was very familiar and holds in highly loving esteem (see 13; also 2 Cor. 11:2 and Eph. 5:22-32). John opening greeting sets the tone for the rest of this short letter: "whom I love in the truth" (note the emphasis on 'truth' in these first few verses).  To 'love in the truth' means to love in a way that is consistent with and demanded by the revelation of God in Christ; i.e., it is a love that never violates any aspect of revealed truth, for the truth is the reason they are loved. They loved each other because they shared a common experience of and commitment to and love for the truth of Jesus and the gospel of His death and resurrection (v4-6).

So (v7-11), when wandering preachers turn up on their doorstep, who do not preach Gospel truth but are spreading false, Gospel-denying ideas such as the incarnation, John insists that such people be turned away, not given hospitality, or other indications of a loving welcome.  He is concerned that "greetings" may be interpreted by others as approval of and agreement with their heresy. The heretic himself may well take it as an encouragement or endorsement of his beliefs. John is not forbidding being kindly or hospitable (that is, 'loving') to unbelievers or strangers; rather he is concerned that warmth of welcome may allow these false teachers a platform to peddle their false Gospel. As John Stott says:  "If John's instruction still seems harsh, it is perhaps because his concern for the glory of the Son and the good of men's souls is greater than ours, and because 'the tolerance on which we pride ourselves' is in reality an indifference to truth."  In this case, truth trumps 'love' as the apostolic priority.

In 3 John we have almost the opposite scenario with love and truth again vying for supremacy.  There were obviously two groups of missionaries were moving around among the churches with which John was engaged. There were those who were spreading heretical teaching, about whom the elder warns his readers to stay clear (2 John 7-11). But there were also those who had gone out ‘for the sake of the Name’ who deserved to be given hospitality and other practical demonstrations of 'love' (3 John 5-8) and for which Gaius is being commended. John point is that Gaius' loving generosity - to those he knew and those he didn't - was proof of his faithfulness to the truth of the gospel. To "send them on their way" (v6) was actually a technical term for supporting someone financially. But what does it mean to send them on their way "in a manner worthy of God"? It probably reflects the way God has graciously treated us and in a in a manner that God himself would approve. It implies then, that God is watching Gaius and us; and how we treat missionaries and evangelists in need is under divine scrutiny. The reason is that they preach Christ (v7a): it was not for themselves, either for personal fortune or fame, but on behalf of Jesus that they went out, and so in supporting them we thereby become fellow-workers with them (v8).  This humble, loving generosity is in contrast to the troublesome Diotrephes (v9-10), whose problem does not seem to be in propagating false teaching as it was promoting his own ego and personal ambition all in the name of doing the Lord's work.

Finally (and briefly), the letter of Jude is out on its own and has no connections with these other letters. It is often paired with 2 Peter because they both address similar themes. Jude is a strong terse letter, warning again about the dangers of embracing false teaching. Now, often such false teaching is not as blatant as denying the Trinity or that works are required to supplement and secure our salvation (at least, not upfront!). But in contrast to Gospel truth that brings life, those who spread anything other than the glory and grace of Christ crucified as our only hope, and who focus on encouraging us to live life to the full as we pursue self-centred, worldly priorities all in the name of enjoying the goodness of God's "grace"- in the words of one writer - "smuggle death into a church". Such warnings that we have read often in these latter letters, are signs of God's love to ensure that we are not misled and so fail to experience the true joy found in knowing Him. Jude encourages us to keep our eyes, our heads and worshipping hearts on "Him who is able to keep us from falling and to present us before His presence without fault and with great joy", Jesus (v24-25).