Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas - December 29


Psalm 18

2 Samuel 23:13-17

2 John 1:13

Luke 1:57-66

John’s second letter reminds us of Christ’s commandments – to love God and love one another. Such regular reminders become necessary because we so often forget that his desires for us come down to such basic actions. As he cautions many teachers come and go with a variety of lessons, but the basic commands of God must be taught in full and as the center of belief.

John specifically points out to the unspecified church and leaders that the commandments he brings are nothing new, but that many others will come along adding and subtracting to the Gospel. The threat from such false teachers is so great that the epistle’s writer suggests violating the powerful mores of the time regarding hospitality. The danger of false teaching is so great that it is better to leave such teachers out on the street rather than extend them the common hospitality of a place to stay.

The same applies to us today. We must be open to the fullness of Christ’s teachings and not pick-and-choose the parts we like or dislike. We are obligated to the Word, not selected words. Let us remain open to the Spirit’s guidance to the message of Christ and in so doing love all as he would have us love them.

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