February 2, 2000

EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
Be careful your faith does
not become corrupted
___ 2 John 1-13
___By Ellis Orozco
___Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen
___Screwtape, in a letter to his bumbling nephew, Wormwood, in C.S. Lewis' classic work "The Screwtape Letters": "The patient is now getting to know more Christians every day, and very intelligent Christians, too. For a long time it will be quite impossible to remove spirituality from his life. Very well, then; we must corrupt it. ... A spoiled saint, a Pharisee, an inquisitor or a magician makes better sport in hell than a mere common tyrant."
___John warns us: Be careful! Satan is always looking for ways to steal something from you.
___ Be true (2 John 4-7). John begins the body of his letter by expressing his joy at finding some of the church's children walking in the truth. The fact that only "some" of the children are walking in the truth is the real purpose of the letter. The joy will be contrasted to the heartbreaking disappointment John felt over those who were slipping away from the truth.
___In order to help those who were slipping, John points out that the starting point for the Christian is two-fold: To love one another (2 John 5); and to obey God's commands (2 John 6). These two are the foundation for a mature faith. Against them no heresy can survive.
___ Be alert (2 John 8-9). John warns those who remain in the truth to be very careful in their Christian growth. John indicates it is possible for us to lose our rewards. John is not writing about salvation. John is writing about our rewards in heaven. Paul writes about the crowns we are eligible to receive in heaven based on how we live and work for Christ on earth (1 Corinthians 9:25, Philippians 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:8). It is important that we guard the truth God has placed in our hearts.
___John also seems to indicate that the person who tries to get ahead of God, and in so doing veers away from the teachings of Christ, never really had God in the first place (2 John 9).
___ Be discerning (2 John 10-11). John is so heartbroken and concerned about the young Christians (children) who are being led astray by the false teachers that he advises them to be very careful about who they invite into their homes. In ancient times, an invitation into the home was a sign of fellowship that included the approval of the person's lifestyle and religion. This is why the Pharisees were so hard on Jesus for accepting invitations to dine with some questionable people (Matthew 9:11, Mark 2:16, Luke 15:2). Of course, their criticism never stopped Jesus.
___John's mandate is not a prohibition from engaging in constructive Christian debate over doctrine. It is not a call to close the mind to anything new.
___It is not a command against loving and caring for people from other faiths or belief systems. John identifies the heresy in question as denying the humanity of Christ (2 John 7). Therefore, he writes a cautionary word about connecting with those who are hostile to the idea that God has come in the flesh. It is a warning that Satan is always looking for ways to corrupt our faith.

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