I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 2 John 1:4-6
As we look at the Apostle Johns second epistle, we see a different tone. The first thing we notice is he opened The Letter with a description of himself as “Elder”. Remember the Apostle John was the youngest of the Apostles, but this is now a later point in his life. The tone appears The Apostle is expecting to come closer to the end of his calling, and wants to make sure the next generation of the Church remains in the faith
This reminds me alot of Moses when he was coming to the end of his life, retaught the commandments of God to the Israelites, so they wouldn’t forget Gods commandments and pass them down to the next generation. This is what the Apostle John appears to be doing also, as the Apostle is reminding the Church of Christs commands to “Love One Another”
As we know this was not a new commandment “which we had from the beginning” Gods commandments have always been Love God and Love Your Neighbor, but in the New Covenant, Christ has fully explained what this all means. We also see the Apostle John addressing a “lady”, most believe he is addressing a Christian woman named Kyria. It’s possible he didn’t use her name because of persecution of the Church. But the Apostle is providing Christian wisdom for the Church and family
So what is the Love of Christ? The Apostle says “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments” This coincides with what Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) People love to throw around the word love, but did they truly walk in love as Christ commanded? Do you truly love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and soul?
The Apostle John wants to remind the Church not to lose their love for God and love for their neighbors, including themselves. Often times the Church can get preoccupied with other things such as budgets and programs, and forget about our true calling to be the body of Christ, the salt and light, the hands and feet of Christ.
“This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it” Are you walking in the love of Christ? Are we staying gospel centered in our Churches or are we preoccupied with worldly things? Walk in love just as Christ has walked for you! Amen!
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