2 John 4–6 (NIV),
4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth,
just as the Father commanded us.
5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning.
I ask that we love one another.
6 And this is love:
that we walk in obedience to his commands.
As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
The NASB translates verse 4: "I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth . . .." [1] Noting the italicized word "some" we recognize that it is not in the Greek phrase. Does the some mean that only a group were walking in the Truth; or does it mean that John had only met some. We are not sure. But the some did bring him joy. Some translations do not add the article "the" to truth indicating a walk that is truthful or authentic. But the NIV, correctly adds "the" to Truth indicating a specific body of truth. This is emphasized by the words which follow as he writes of the Father's command.
So what is this commandment of the Father that we should "walk" in? It is the commandment to love one another. So we ask John, "What is love?" His answer is that love is obeying God's commands. "Four times
in vv. 4-6 the author uses the noun "command" (entole). This
is his way of making clear that what he is saying is a direct expression of
God's will. And how does one know that he fulfills the will of God? The test of
love is obedience to God's commands, and the test of obedience is whether one
"walks in love." [2]
If you sense a circular argument here you are right. Christian living is never departmentalized or lived in an isolated vacuum. There is an overlap and interrelationship with all we do. This means that when we discuss the centrality of the Christian message, i.e. love for God and one another, this begs the definition of walking in truth and obedience. Negatively, if I am living a disobedient life then I cannot assume that I am truly loving God and/or others; or vice versa. There is a word that describes this. It is the word "congruity."
The
word congruity is from the Old French congruité
for "relevance and appropriateness." Congruity is a quality of agreement and appropriateness. When
there's congruity, things fit together in a way that makes sense.
If a team has congruity, the players work together well. If a Christian Church has congruency, it means that what they believe, what they say they believe, how they act -- on the outside and the inside -- public and private all send the same message.
This is the ultimate description of a healthy congregation. It is a joy to the Pastor. It brings glory to God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Father this is the ultimate battle of Christendom. This is my ultimate battle. I can't imagine what the Day will be like, when “. . . we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2, NIV). The most congruent Man in the cosmos is Jesus Christ. What you see is what you get. No deceit. No hypocrisy. Oh to be like Him! I long for the Day when what I believe is who I really am. I long for the Day when what I am on the inside is the same as the outside. I long for the Day when all that I am is encapsulated in love for God, obedience to God, and love for others. That Day is coming. Because of the essence of the Gospel -- because of Christ, that Day is coming. Today, Father, I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is keeping my eyes of the glory of Christ in the Gospel -- and thereby being changed a little bit at a time, each day. But today Father, I long for That Day when I shall know Him and be like Him, in all His glory. Maranatha, Lord Jesus.
__________________________________
1. New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (2 Jn 4). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
2. Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:2 John/Exposition of 2 John/II. A Formal Word of Instruction (4-11)/A. An Exhortation (4-6), Book Version: 4.0.2
No comments:
Post a Comment