Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 103rd. Edition.
Dear Holy Nation,
Today’s passage (2 John 7-9) is another echo from 1 John. The brevity of the statement could be indicative of the possibility that 1 John was already in circulation and that John expected his readers to be conversant with it. Alternatively, if 2 John was the earlier letter, which is a possibility, the brief mention may point to the false teaching that had not yet spread widely yet. Whatever the case, John addresses the problem of false teachers, also called deceivers and antichrists.
A False Belief (v. 7). The matter of Jesus Christ being truly human is as critical to our redemption as is his divinity. The popular denial of his humanity was attractive, because it falsely elevated him, supposing that being human would subtract from his deity. This is the danger of borrowing indiscriminately from popular clichés. What is trending in popular platforms is not necessarily true or correct. The truth of God judges all things and brings “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).
A Fearful Bobby Trap (v. 8). Every believer has been promised a reward. The apostle Paul uses the imagery of a crown (2 Timothy 4:8), most probably envisioning a laurel wreath with which a victor was crowned at the Olympic, Isthmian, or other games of that time. False teachers cannot cause us to lose the eternal life we have received from our God, but they can sidetrack or derail us from the race so that the outcome of our lives is not as honoring to God as God would have desired. This would rob us of the reward, after having worked hard for it. Beware, false teachers!
A Fair Basis ( v. 9). Please note that false teachers are not fellow believers with whom we differ on a few minor details. There is an irreducible minimum that one must hold to, in order to be considered a Christian. People who deny the humanity of Christ, as here, fall short of that standard. In our times, people who deny the deity (divinity, “goodness”) of Christ, the Trinity, and the death and resurrection of Christ are not of us. Likewise, those of the same mind as we on these essentials may be considered ours, even though we may dispute things like water baptism, baptism of the Holy Spirit, the style of worship, church governance, and the way to celebrate the Lord’s table, just to mention a few.
Who are you consorting with? To whom did you send “seed” by M-Pesa? Food for thought.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.