If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen. (2 John 1:10-13)
John encourages the brethren to disregard these new developments in doctrine and hold to the truth they have known from the beginning. And we would do well to heed the warning. Gnostic doctrine accepted the divine origin of Jesus while discarding His humanity. In our day, many follow this pattern by appealing to certain aspects of Jesus while deliberately overlooking the rest. When Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you,” many people applaud, but they forget, “Go and sin no more.” Favoring one aspect of Jesus while disregarding others corrupts the gospel and deceives as much as a blatant lie.
The Stakes of Faithful Obedience
Christians should continue their vigilance in our present day: deceivers and antichrists circulate in American religious culture. As John has previously warned, the stakes could not be higher: our salvation hinges on remaining true to the doctrine of Christ. Everyone from Jesus to Paul to Peter to John emphasizes the virtue of watchfulness or vigilance. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation,” Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 14:38. “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong,” Paul urged the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16:13.
Guarding Your Fellowship with God
As John says in 2 John 1:8, “Look to yourselves.”: Be aware of the danger these doctrines present to the church. John warns that those who deny that Jesus has come in the flesh or who fail to love their brethren do not abide in the doctrine of Christ and, therefore, do not have God. Jesus says in John 17:19-21, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” The truth preached and taught by Jesus sanctifies us; it sets us apart from the world.
My fellowship with God depends on many things, but among them is continuing to believe the doctrine that Christ taught His apostles and commanded them to teach us. I cannot accept other forms of the gospel, other versions of Jesus, or other doctrines foreign to the Scriptures and remain in fellowship with God. To take it a step further, I cannot have fellowship with those who believe in a different gospel, a different Jesus, or a different doctrine. The church cannot tolerate false doctrine or pretend to be friendly with false teachers.
The stakes are too high. Our fellowship with God, Jesus, and the universal church depends on our faithfulness to the doctrine of Christ. Departing from the truth jeopardizes our salvation: as John says, we will lose what we have worked for and the reward that awaits those faithful until death. So churches must take the threat of false teaching and false teachers seriously; fellowship with God and salvation hang in the balance. With these brief but grave warnings, John expresses his desire to see the church soon in verse 12.
The Importance of In-Person Fellowship with God
In recent years, many churches have started streaming their services online, a capability that has some advantages. It gives sick and infirm members, whose health prevents them from attending church, an opportunity to remain connected with their brethren. It is also helpful in reaching a segment of society that is less likely to visit a congregation without some sense of what the church is about. So long as it is handled prudently and with care, I see some advantages to providing this service to church and community members.
However, there is no substitute for meeting with the church in person. A letter, just like a congregation streaming their service online, has a detached element—we lose the interpersonal connection essential to the body of Christ. We maintain brotherly love by seeing one another in person, greeting each other with a warm handshake or hug, and asking, “How are you doing?” God created us to be social beings; even the most introverted among us require in-person human interaction to maintain spiritual and emotional well-being. The church is not something you can digitally experience.
It is a living organism made up of people saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. The church is a body that depends on each of its members contributing to the function of the whole. There is no substitute for meeting with the church face-to-face. When you find a group of like-minded believers who love one another and teach the doctrine of Christ, you will experience an inexpressible joy that will bless your life. Having many things to write, John did not wish to do so with paper and ink, but hoped to speak face to face.
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