The last couple days I have been dwelling in the 3 Johns at the end of the New Testament. We believe and there is good proof that the 3 Johns were written by the same Gospel writer that was an apostle (follower called by Christ Himself – 1 of the 13) of Jesus. In his latter years John writes to the church as an elderly father giving advice to younger children in the faith. The main focus and introduction of his 2nd letter to the early church stood out to me – vs 5 & 6 of 2nd John.
"And now I ask you, dear lady - not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning - that we love one another."
This is nothing new… this is a reiteration of Jesus’ commandments… that we love one another. So many times it’s easy for us to stray from the simplicity of the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). In our humanistic mentality and modern day society where we hear hidden and open messages of self promotion. We believe the lie that it cannot be this easy, there has to be more to it… but there isn’t. It is that simple – we are commanded to love. Love God and love our neighbor as ourself. Furthermore John describes what love is to us.
And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
This is such a necessary clarification of what love actually is. In our world today love is purely an emotion, just a feeling. But God, who is love, clearly tells us that love is not just an emotion but action – that we walk according to his commandments. First of, many of us cannot walk in his commandments because we simply lazily and ignorantly just do not know his commandments. Despite the fact that we have the living Words of God at our fingertips we scroll over to our social media apps or snaps instead of opening the one app that contains the Words and teachings that can actually give us life. We wonder and seek for everyone else’s opinion and approval on our social media instead of finding that security, confidence and true purpose in the teachings and the person of Christ. Secondly, once we actually do know His commandments, then we can actually walk in them.
We are not just meant to know the truth – we are meant to walk in the truth.
This is where true change happens.
This is where transformation takes place.
This is where sanctification is realized.
That the Word of God be perfected in our life.
This is how we become like Jesus.
True transformation requires action.
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