Walking in Truth

2John 1:4-8 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as you have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 

‘I found of thy children walking in truth’ testimony to the faith of the believers in her congregation. ‘As we have received a commandment from the Father’ one of the New Testament commandments to all believers: to walk in truth.

‘That we love one another’ an emphasis in all John’s writings. He uses the word “love” 62 times compared to only 116 times by all other writers of the New Testament. He was after all the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20, 24). He was not loved more than others by Christ, but he accepted His love and chose to call himself accordingly. God does not have respect for persons, with regards to their looks, races, classes and sexes (Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11; Gal. 3:28; Jas. 2:1-4).

‘This is love, that we walk after his commandments’ keeping the commandments of the New Testament is proof of genuine love. No amount of show, speech or deeds is a replacement for obedience.

‘Deceivers’ the Greek word planos meaning “deceiver” (1:7; Matt. 27:63; 2Cor. 6:8) and “seducing” (1Tim. 4:1). Seducing spirits and deceivers denied the incarnation (1Jn. 4:1-6). Today, they are denying the physical, fleshly resurrection of Jesus as well as the incarnation. The Greek here reads, “Jesus Christ coming in the flesh,” proving that it refers to His physical resurrection and His coming again to earth in the flesh. He will come in the same human body that was resurrected and taken to heaven (Zech. 13:6; Acts 1:11; Php. 3:21; 1Cor. 15:1-23).

‘Look to youselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward’ here Christians are warned to meet require conditions of blessing in order not to lose rewards (1Cor. 3:11-15) as well as losing the truth that was revealed unto us (2Tim. 2:16-17).