For centuries Christians have celebrated the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on the 25th of December. While the jury is still out on whether that is the actual day of his birth, and while many godly Christians refrain from such celebrations, it is inevitable that your attention will be drawn to the idea of Christmas this time of year. So it is prudent to make the most of the opportunity and turn our attention away from all the world has to offer and direct it to the wonder of the incarnation of Christ without which there is no gospel. The world after all only offers “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16)—gaudy and flimsy trinkets. But the one who abides in the Son has eternal life (1 John 5:12–13).
This month, as we approach December 25, we will be sending a series of daily meditations, most of which will be based on John’s first epistle. The first two letters of John deal with an early departure from the Christian community (1 John 2:18–19, 2 John 7). Those who departed claimed that Christ did not come in the flesh. Compare 1 John 4:1–6 and 2 John 7–11.
Today we will briefly look at that second epistle of John. Take some time to read its brief 13 verses. You find there that John has two concerns. First, the gospel, which he calls, “the truth,” produces communities of love (2 John 2–6). Because of the truth of the gospel, churches are to be characterized by love for one another according to God’s command (2 John 5). The Son of God has been sent in love; he has taken on flesh to ransom us. This truth is the seed from which our love for our Christian community grows.
Because love grows from the truth, it is imperative also that genuine Christian love maintains that truth. That’s John’s second concern. The church has no hope against a hostile world except the good news that Christ has come to save; this faith is our victory (1 John 5:4–5). So we must protect the purity of our message with all diligence. We must not treat (or even greet) as Christians those who do not embrace the truth of the gospel including the shocking truth of the incarnation (2 John 7–11). Love presses us to maintain clear boundaries: only those who believe may belong. Of course concern for the eternal welfare of outsiders is also clearly taught in Scripture (see, for example, 1 Peter 2:12); we invite those who do not yet belong to believe in the Son. But that concern does not diminish John’s argument in this letter for the purity of the Christian community.
Thus, the truth produces love, and love protects the truth. As Ray Ortlund’s book, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, says, “Gospel doctrine creates gospel culture.” And that’s something we as a church wish to see happening among us every day of the year.