If anyone comes to you and does not
bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any
greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
THE STUDY:
In our devotional today a couple of
things stand out to me. The first thing is do
not receive him into your house. This refusal of hospitality expands a
Jewish practice typically directed toward Gentiles. Jews religiously avoided
table fellowship with Gentiles (see Acts 10:28; Gal 2:11–13). It appears that John
adapted Jew vs. Gentile practice to erect a protective barrier against those that
claimed that Jesus Christ was not a real person. Since early churches met in
homes, the “keep out” sign specifically refused the secessionists access to
teach among the believers in such houses.
The second thing that stood out to
me was the believers were to not give them any
greeting. The reasoning for this was looked at as to welcome false teachers
was to grant them theological affirmation.
Finally, the last thing that stood
out to me was John stating that whoever
greets him takes part in his wicked works. Hosting false teachers was like
inviting Satan to dinner![1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- We walk away with the understanding of the importance that the early disciples placed on the teachings of Christ. If a person was not in total agreement with the teachings of Jesus Christ they were not to be associated with and even worse, not accepted.
CONCLUSION:
To some modern minds these instructions seem
unduly rigid and harsh. A great part of the problem, however, lies in the
modern inclination to be highly tolerant of religious differences. One must
frankly face the fact that the New Testament writers did not share this spirit
of toleration. Their commitment to the truth and their consciousness of the
dangers of religious error called forth many stern denunciations of false
teachers. Not surprisingly, this modern age, having a diminishing sense of the
dangers of heresy, has lost its convictions about the truth.[2]
I pray that today we live by the
conviction in our hearts of God’s teachings and truths. I Pray we are moved to live by the truth and by our convictions to hold fast to the teachings of Christ. If we sway just a little it starts us down a slippery slope away from God. If we
sway just a little it starts us down a slippery slope away from God.
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(194). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
[2]
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An
exposition of the scriptures (2 Jn 10). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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