2 John 4-6 – It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
We ought not to tire from reading of John bringing the message of love to us over and over again. None of us really have perfected love. Our first instinct to love lingers from the time before we became Followers of Christ. That first instinct, and it is very strong, is to love ourselves. It is not that the love of God has not flooded our hearts and souls and that we don’t understand and walk in love. No, if that were so we would not be his. But the instinct to love ourselves first, is a dogged, persistent foe. It creeps out sneakily. The tired mom of a newborn has found a quiet moment to snuggle into a chair to take a very brief sojourn into the land of peace and self as she nibbles on chocolate and reads a book that transports her to another time and place. She is so thankful for the little bit of “me time.” Just as she is settled she hears it. The cries of her baby. She will surely go quickly to her child because her love is true. However, for a moment, she protests “Oh no, I just wanted a little break!” How about the man who planned to go the ballgame on Friday night. He’s been looking forward to it. A place where he can forget about his responsibilities from a long work week and just enjoy the game and eat a hot dog. Ah yes! Then on Thursday his wife says “Honey, do you have any plans for tomorrow? There is a wonderful concert tomorrow night that I have, for years, wanted to see.” Well, the husband thinks, for at least a moment, “Oh no, I’ve been looking forward to going to the ballgame!” However, he responds to his wife “Oh sure Sweetheart, I’d love to go with you to that!” Our first thoughts are often about self, but then, as the love of God transforms us, we are changed from love of self to love of God and love of others. We are transformed…slowly. Our latter state, thanks to God, is better than the former.
Yes, John continuously leads us to love in a varied, yet consistent, fashion. Let’s not tire of the Word teaching us love. John would say “When you have truly learned to live in Godly love, then we will talk about other things.”
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth…” John returns to the fact that love and truth are inherently and eternally linked. If we have the Truth within us, then we will have love within us. If we have love within us, then we have the Truth within us. Just this is fuel for never ending revelation and application.
“…just as the Father commanded us.” John, though the Lord has certainly given him the authority to do so, John tells us to walk in truth because this is what the Lord has commanded. Yet, John, the last living Apostle who was chosen and walked with Jesus, is humble and includes himself as also being under the command. I’m sure that even the “Apostle of Love” understands that he is still growing in the faith (He also uses “we” in 1 John 1:8-10). Let us walk in truth as the Father has commanded us.
“I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.” The commandment of love is not new. Jesus gave it to us from the beginning. Furthermore, even in the Ten Commandments, we see that love is behind them. Since obedience to God is an element of the love of God, we see the law of love even in the Garden of Eden. John, from the love of God that causes him to love others, asks us to continue in the greatest commandment, to love. We are called to love as God has loved us (John 15:12). That’s a whole lot of loving!
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.” John has, in these three verses returned to love and its basic elements: truth and obedience. As Jesus said in John 14:15, if we truly love Him, we will obey Him. One of the proofs of the love of God is obedience to Him. Think about it. How can we, who owe all to Him, say that we love Him if we will not obey Him? Not that we can ever live perfectly without sinning. 1 John 2:1-2 is clearly written with the awareness that we will sin. But we ought not to live in any sin. We ought not push back and demand that God let us do what He has said that we are not allowed to do. We ought to remember that He is God and we are not. Since God gave all to love and save us, then love, gratitude, obedience and living in His Truth should be our response.
“As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.” Family, Jesus made in all very simple for us. He made it uncomplicated, Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This is how we are to live in love. It is uncomplicated. Let us say to ourselves “The whole of God’s commandment is to for me to love. Love, only love. That is all!” Remember that Jesus taught us that all the commandments are summed up in the commandment to love (Matthew 22:40). Beloved, let us love.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.