Christ’s Commandment and Walking in Truth

Teaching

As we have studied the Epistles of John, he makes it clear that God is light, love and life. John’s theme throughout is that “we may know” that we are truly children of God. The phrase is used 13 times in I John alone. John wants to make our certainty of eternal life through walking in the Light in personal spiritual conduct, in our relationships with others, in separation from the world, and in adherence to Truth. He also reveals the certainty or test of eternal life as abiding in Love. He establishes that both Light and Love are descriptions of God’s deity and that our actions are reflections of who He is. Thirdly, the Epistles were written to establish the certainty of faith. John focuses on the truth that it is faith in Christ alone that we know that we have eternal life. We are reminded that John 20:31 says, “These are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing ye may have life in His name.” John’s Gospel was written to arouse faith, and his epistles were written to establish certainty. John saw Christ with his eyes, heard Him with his ears and touched Him with his hands as proof that Christ is real and that He is the Son of God. (1 Jn. 1:1) He says that whosoever denies the Father and the Son is antichrist. (2:22), and he declares that “every spirit that confesseth not Jeus (that He has come in the flesh) is not of God. (4: 2-3)

Lastly, we move to the 2nd and 3rd Epistles as they deal with the same problem from the standpoint of the church made up of individuals—the Body of Christ. We learned that there were some in the Body that went out from them but they were not of them; for if they had been of them, they would have continued with them. (2: 19) Some of them had become false teachers who sought to gain entrance into the smaller churches that were immature and weak. The Second Epistle contains warnings against them written to a highly respected Christian matron with whom the Apostle John was acquainted. It centers on the Truth—not only the revealed truth in the Scriptures but the Lord Jesus Christ who is Himself the Truth incarnate. The Third Epistle is addressed to a man named Gaius commending him for his gracious support of the itinerant preachers who made periodic rounds to the churches. The Epistles were written for a church that confronted new philosophies that sought to conquer Christianity by absorbing it, and that were struggling to maintain its distinctive message against perversion by error. Again, we recognize the parallels with what the Church is facing today. Like Solomon says, “There is nothing new under the sun” and “that which has been will be gain.”

John begins his 2nd Epistle in verses 1-6 with focus on “Love Expressed in the Boundary of Truth.” He deals with the question: “When truth and love come into conflict, which is to predominate, which is to have top priority?

Love Expressed in the Boundary of Truth—Love in Truth verse 1-6

Read verse 1. Most bible teachers believe John’s letter was to a prominent woman in the church and to the spiritual children of the church which is literally intended for the church at large and the church today. The word “truth” is emphasized in the Epistle and a key word. Christian love can only be expressed in the bounds of the family of God, those who have the truth. “The truth” here is the Word of God and also the one who is revealed in the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. John is saying two things are important for a Christian: 1. That the object of his love must be another believer in Christ, a genuine believer, and also 2. That he is genuine in asserting this, that expressing his love is not just a pious expression. John embraces the rest of the body of believers who also love this particular woman because of her outstanding testimony and who stand with her in truth.

Read verse 2. “For the truth’s sake” means in defense of the truth. We need to recognize that the truth needs to be defended. We need to stand for the truth of God and for the Word of God. It is time for us to get back to the Truth focusing on Scripture and Jesus. This is a day that we can’t believe all politicians, college professors, scientists, military leaders and certainly not the fake news! True born-again believers have the Spirit of Truth dwelling in us that leads us into all truth. We need to stay in the Word and ask for discernment in what we see and hear. As you know, AI can fool us too!

Read verse 3. John introduces the word “mercy” here. What is the difference between the love, the mercy, and the grace of God? We read in Ephesians 2: 4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).” Paul combines these three words in this verse. He says that God is rich in mercy, and because of His great love for us, He saves us by grace. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote: “Love is that in God which existed before He would care to exercise mercy or grace.” Love always existed between God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Love is the nature of God—the love of God caused God to move in the direction of mercy and grace; it caused Him to exercise mercy and grace. Remember John 3: 16. In mercy God provided for the need of sinful man. Dr. Chafer also said, “Grace is that in Him which acts feely to save because all the demands of holiness have been satisfied in Christ.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Salvation all comes from the love of God, but God doesn’t save by His love or His mercy. God so loved the world that by His mercy He provided a Savior for the world, and He can now save by grace. Grace is God’s undeserved favor—God’s Grace At Christ’s Expense! Salvation is not only the expression of the love of God, but it is also an expression of the justice and righteousness of God. Roman’s 3:26 says, “To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness; that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” In order to justify us when we trust Christ, God has to be righteous and holy and just. We are not fit for heaven and separated from God as sinners and Christ is the one who renews and justifies those who believe in Him. So John sums it up: Grace be with you—that is the way God saves us. Mercy—merely provided a Savior. And peace—when we have all this, then the peace of God that passeth all understand is going to keep our heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Philippians 4: 13)

Read verse 4. Again, John addresses believers as “children.” Walking in truth refers to the manner of life, meaning walking in obedience to the commandments from the Father that we covered last week in I Thessalonians 5. We are to order our lives after the Word of God.

Read verse 5. The beginning refers to the beginning of the ministry of Christ in His incarnation. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (Jn. 14:15) Walking in truth and loving one another as fellow believers is the balance that is needed today in the church. The question is: “Are we really walking in the knowledge of the Word of God and in love for believers?” The emphasis in the Christian life is truth and love. Notice that John is commanding us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. It does not mean that we love all those who are walking in the ways of the world and oppose God. Our call to God is to love others by taking the gospel to the world. That is the way that we can show our concern and love. The important thing to see is that God is love—it is His attribute—and His love that has provided a Savior for us. But truth is also very important, and we cannot put love above truth because when we do we then sacrifice truth. In other words, God calls for obedience from His children and will not compromise His truth and when dealing with our family and the world we cannot compromise either. Sometimes, love has to be tough.

Read verse 6. The Lord’s commandments are more than the Ten Commandments which are the bases of government and to civilization, but in Christ we are called to a higher plane where we are to produce in our life by the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. If these things are in us and abide in us, you and I are walking after His commandments. If they are not in us, we are not walking after His commandments. The way we express love is the way we express love in the family, in church and in our concern and in our help for others. We cannot say that we are loving someone unless we have a concern for them and especially a concern for their spiritual welfare. John is saying, this thing is not to be put on ice. It is not something to be stored on the shelf. We have heard it from the beginning. The Lord Jesus taught this. Now you and I must walk in it as we manifest love to others.

Life Is an Expression of the Doctrine of Christ—False doctrine leads to evil deeds verses 7-11

John said in his first epistle that already there were many antichrists and that there was the spirit of antichrist. How do we identify the spirit of antichrist? John gives us the answer in this verse: The spirit of antichrist is to deny the deity of Christ. It is to deny everything that is said about Him, everything that He said, and everything that He did for us in redemption by dying on the cross and by being raised bodily from the dead. That is antichrist, and that is the spirit of antichrist. John is saying to us that there are many deceivers who have entered into the world. The important thing is that the way we tell one who is true is by his viewpoint, his teaching, his beliefs concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that a person cannot hold a different view from what you and I hold but the deciding factor is the deity of Christ—the Virgin Birth, the crucifixion of Christ, His resurrection and the Holy Spirit that birthed the Church and dwells in us. Too many people today don’t read and study the Bible and know truth from error. This is dangerous in this world of disinformation and misinformation. If we want to know the truth we better go to the source of truth—God’s Word. We are to be aware of those who are not believers, the deceivers who deny the deity of Christ. John is saying that if you deny the deity of Christ, you are not a Christian. There are those who may be religious but are not of Christ. The word Christian means “a follower of Christ.”

Read verse 8. John is warning us to look at ourselves and examine where we are in our spiritual walk. While we do not lose our salvation when we have fellowship with the wrong people—we need to understand that very clearly—but we put ourselves in a dangerous position. It does mean that the minute we identify ourselves with a cult or go off into this type of thing we deny the deity of Christ, but it does mean that we risk losing our rewards. Every believer ought to be working for a reward, to be able to hear Him say someday, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matt. 25: 21) At the end of his life, Paul was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day…” (2 Tim. 4: 7-8) During his life, he wasn’t sure of it, for he said that he didn’t want to be disapproved when he came into the presence of Christ. Therefore, we must be very careful not to be taken in by deceivers.

Read verse 9. If we are abiding in the teachings of Christ, we have God the Father, and God the Son, and we have access to the Father through the Son. We have access to God through Christ, by His marvelous, infinite grace if we abide in Christ the written Word and Christ the Living Word. We are to remain—it is a permanent arrangement. During my life, I have heard many different teachings by various teachers and pastors but God called me back to the Bible to prove or disprove what was being taught. The Holy Spirit promises to bring us into all truth. Every day I ask God to reveal truth to me and teach me. He and He alone must be our Source.

Read verses 10-11. The question is “What should our attitude be when we are confronted with these false teachings and beliefs?” Over the years, God has allowed me to experience these situations. The most challenging was the one with Don Erwin. He had taken the beliefs and doctrines of several different religions and rolled them into one and sought to introduce them into our church. He was influenced by the Unitarian Church, the Catholic Church and the United Methodist Church. He dressed in a robe made of burlap and tied with a rope. He immediately solicited the children to be his acolytes to help him dress in his robe and sprinkle “holy water” on the congregation. He put up an altar in the study and at the parsonage and burned candles and incense. He wanted the congregation to chant. He was a student at Emory in theology but spent time in a Catholic monastery outside Atlanta while he was there. Carl Myers was in the Navigators while he was in the military and came home on leave and was devastated at what was happening. He and I met with Don and challenged what he was teaching and doing at the church. He was indigent that anyone would challenge him. However, over a period of two years and many visits with the leadership of the North Alabama Conference, he was finally moved! We did not bid him Godspeed! He was assigned to another church in North Alabama and met with the same resistance there and the Board finally dismissed him and refused to ordain him. What John has written is just as pertinent today as it was when it was written. This church had to take another strong stand and disassociate with the liberal teachings of the United Methodist Church a few years ago. We will give an account of where we have departed from the teachings of the Bible and Christ and associating with those who do. Remember we are to depart from the appearance of evil so that we will receive God’s blessings. God will not bless what does not honor Him! John’s Second Epistle can best be summed up with these words: Love, Obedience, Vigilance, Refusal of Error.

Read verse 12. John says, “I can tell it better than I can write it.” David said the same thing, “…my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” (Ps. 45:1) When David began to write the 45th Psalm, a Psalm of praise that looks forward to the Messiah the King, he simply said, “I wish I could tell it to you better than I can write it.” Jesus said in John 15:11; “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” When we are in fellowship with God, family and friends we experience the fullness of joy. The fullness of joy comes from knowing God, abiding in Christ, and trusting in His promises. Psalm 16:11 states: “You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures.” This joy is not dependent on circumstances but is rooted in a relationship with God. Pleasures at God’s right hand are described as eternal and unending, surpassing all earthly delights. One day we will truly know the fullness of joy when we see Jesus face to face!

The Third Epistle of John—The Practice of Truth

This Epistle is very personal like the 2nd and carries the theme of truth. Truth again is presented as all-important. When truth and love come into conflict, truth must survive. This means that we are not to love the false teacher. This Epistle deals with personalities. In the 2nd Epistle, John says that the truth is worth standing for, but in this 3rd Epistle John’s emphasis is that the truth is worth working for. Dr. McGhee says, “My life in God—that’s salvation. My life with God—that’s communion and fellowship. But my life for God—that’s service.” This Epistle deals with life for God, and it has to do with walking and working in the truth. It is written to his friend Gaius.

Read verse 1. The elder speaks of an officer in the early church. Gaius was a beloved friend four times in this Epistle John calls him “beloved.” John knows and loves him in the Lord, and he writes a letter to this brother who apparently is in some local church. Immediately we are told that Gaius is sound in doctrine. He accepted the deity of Christ, stood for truth and worked for the truth. This man walked and worked in love.

Read verse 2. This verse is a heartfelt prayer from the Apostle John expressing deep pastoral concern for his well-being—spiritual, physical, emotional, and material. He is asking for God’s favor in all the circumstances in every area of his life. The prayer for good health underscores a biblical view of physical well-being as valuable and part of God’s care. John ties physical and material prosperity to spiritual health—just as your soul prospers. This reflects the biblical principle that true flourishing includes both spiritual growth and bodily health. Paul makes this connection in 1 Corinthians 11: 28-34 where he calls us to examine ourselves searching ourselves of shortcomings and recognizing our own condition before celebrating the Lord’s Supper to avoid judgment of being weak and sickly or physical death! That is a strong warning! God desires for us to healthy spiritually and physically!

Read verse 3. It had been reported to John by the traveling evangelists and missionaries about the graciousness of Gaius and his walk in the truth. This refers not only to doctrine but also to his conduct. The mark of the believer is to walk in truth. Walking in the truth also means walking in the right conduct and behavior and about where we walk. John has made it clear that we should avoid the company of those who cause us to sin. Gaius had spiritual discernment. He could tell who were the genuine believers and who were not. Gaius found out whether they believed in the deity of Christ, the Virgin birth, His redemptive death upon the cross, and His resurrection before opening up his home to them. Then he opened his heart to them!

Read verse 4. John had been the pastor of the church in Ephesus and had led many to the Lord. Now that he is an old man, he rejoices to hear that his converts, scattered out over the area of Asia, are still walking in truth. They manifested walking in the truth and in love for the brethren. It brings great joy to us when we hear that the younger generation whom we have influenced are growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Read verses 5-8. John commends Gaius for having received and encouraged the true teachers of the Word. Gaius has not received the false teachers but received the true brethren. Gaius used discernment. We too are not to support anything—including a church or a ministry until we are sure that it is of God. We must be sure that the Word of God is being given out and that they love the brethren. This is what we must be careful of today as we are hearing big ministries that have gotten off track and fallen into deception. John says that if we help those who are giving out the Word of God and who are walking in love, we do well. Gaius received the brethren who trusted the Lord and opened up his home to them. They were genuine and real and served out of great sacrifice. They didn’t receive a salary; they trusted the Lord to provide. These people were depending on believers for their support and not being influenced by unbelievers. These men went forth, taking nothing from unbelievers. We see how fraud from government agencies have been used for so-called ministries that were false. Recently, I heard from the couple in New Your City that I have supported. They informed me that the North American Mission Board is no longer in need of them as they were doing street ministry and training volunteers in ministry in neighborhoods. Of course, there is danger in this type of ministry there now. This young couple have served there for 7 years and now they and their two-year old son are returning to Alabama without a car, home or furniture. It is by faith that they are asking God what His next place of service will be. Truly they are walking by faith and not by sight in dependence upon Him. Every believer is called upon to give to those who not only believe in Christ, but those who also are giving out the Word of God today. We are to partner with those who are doing the Lord’s work so that we might be fellow-helpers in getting out the Word of God.

Verses 9-11 deals with reproving opponents of truth. Read. John moves from commending Gaius to revealing the truth about another man Diotrephes “who loved to have the preeminence,” who likes to be in charge and for everyone to know that he is in charge! We would say that “he likes to toot his own horn.” We would call him a “blow-hard.” John brings five charges against him: 1. He occupied the leading place in the church; 2. He actually refused to receive John who was an Apostle; 3. He made malicious statements against the apostles; 4. He refused to support the missionaries, the ones who were traveling through the country and the reason obviously was that he wanted to do the speaking and teaching himself; and 5. He excommunicated those who did support the missionaries. In other words, Diotrephes wanted to be the first exalted ruler of the church. He wanted to be the one to be heard. He was self-exalting, self-sufficient, self-willed, self-satisfied and self-confident. He felt that he could do all the teaching and preaching and that he did not need these other men to come and minister. This all goes back to the command in Colossians 3:17 that states: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” This verse calls believers to approach every aspect of life—speech, actions, work, and relationships with the awareness we are acting under Christ’s authority and for His glory. Verse 32 reinforces this: “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men.” Our ultimate audience is God, and our motivation is not for human approval but service to the Lord. Then verse 25 provides encouragement: “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” This reminder of eternal reward sustains faithful service honoring God in every word and deed, recognizing that all life is lived under His authority and for His glory. The part of John’s character as “son of thunder” would deal with Diotrephes as he did evil in God’s sight. John encourages Gaius to continue doing that which is good. The one who practices righteousness is a child of God but the one who does not practice righteousness is not born of God.

Verse 12 commends Demetrious for being a dependable brother. He was a man that had a good report—a man sound in the faith. John’s witness confirms that he is one of the wonderful saints of God possibility that Diotrephes had shut out of the church. We have only one verse about Demetrious. He is never mentioned again in Scripture. However, this one verse gives us an insight into the Christian character of this saint of God. His name means “belonging to Demeter,” that is Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. This identifies him as a convert from paganism. He evidently was brought up in a pagan home and worshiped the gods of the Greeks and Romans. This man, converted, now goes around teaching the Word of God and Jesus Christ. Others testified to his character, and he was true to the doctrine of Scripture. He is one of the shining lights of the New Testament, a humble saint of God doing the thing God has called him to do. The real test of the Christian life is not in the arena backed by applause. God gifts each of us with talents for His service. We are not called to be great but to do small things for God who is great! When much is given, much is required comes from Luke 12:48 where Jesus teaches that those who have been entrusted with greater blessings—such as wealth, knowledge, talents or spiritual gifts will be held to a higher standard of accountability. This principle reflects a core biblical theme: blessings come with responsibility. It is not merely about material wealth but also about how one uses their time, abilities and opportunities to serve others and glorify God. We are to remain faithful and vigilant, as the faithful servant is rewarded, while the unfaithful servant—especially one who abuses his position—faces severe consequences.

Read verses 13-14. Again, John wants to come to meet face to face instead of writing. He would speak face to face with these men of the first century. He would speak face to face with Diotrephes with harsh and stern words and John would speak to Gaius and Demetrious commending those wonderful men of God. One was dictator and the other two were genuine Christians who were real and wonderful children of God.

All the Epistles draw a sharp line between truth and falsehood, between righteousness and unrighteousness, between light and darkness and between love and hatred. They demand that the Christian place himself on one side of the line or on the other. John makes it clear in 1 John 5:12; “He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.” Maturity of thought and holiness of life are their objectives and to aid and develop the Christian so that he might keep himself, and that the evil one might not lay hold of him. (5:18)

Back at the beginning of this year, God revealed to me “God’s Theme for 2026” is found in 2 John verses 9-10 and 3 John verse 2. “Anyone who runs on ahead of God and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ (who is not content with what He taught) does not have God; but he who continues to live in the doctrine (teaching) of Christ (does have God), he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine (is disloyal to what Jesus Christ taught), do not receive him (do not accept him, do not welcome or admit him) into (your) house or bid him Godspeed or give him any encouragement…Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and (that your body) may keep well, even as (I know) your soul keeps well and prospers.”

A.W. Tozer gives us this warning, “In an effort to get the work of the Lord done, we often lose contact with the Lord of the work.” George Whitten sums it up for us: We all are to be Christ’s living epistle! 2 Cor. 3: 2-3 says, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” Paul declares that believers are living letters, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, known and read by all. The gospel was never meant to remain on pages; it was meant to be written on lives. A life that reveals Jesus does not rely solely on words. It speaks through character, through consistency, through love that endures and truth that remains steady. The world may debate theology, but it cannot deny a transformed life. When our identity in Christ is fully embraced and faithfully practiced, Jesus becomes recognizable in the way we walk, speak, forgive, serve and love. Surrender produces transformation. Over time, the Spirit writes His story upon our hearts so clearly that others encounter God not first through sermons, but through our presence. We become living evidence that Jesus is alive and at work. To be a living epistle is to live with awareness that every moment matters. Our faith is no longer private-it is visible. Our obedience is no longer hidden—it bears witness. We carry the aroma of Christ into ordinary spaces, and heaven touches earth through lives yielded to Him. This is not perfection; it is faithfulness. Not performance, but presence. Identity becomes testimony. Faith becomes visible. The new creation steps fully into its calling; to make the unseen God known through a life surrendered to His Spirit. May our words carry truth, our actions carry love, and our presence carry His peace. Walk in such a way that heaven is made visible on earth through our obedience. We are a living epistle—seen, read, and known by all. Go now and live what we believe. Let Jesus be revealed through us!”

John reminds us in 1 John 2: 28 that we must be ready for Christ’s return, whenever He comes back. We are to remain faithful, completing whatever tasks He gives us, so that we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”

These are times that we need to be encouraged in the Lord and know that God has a plan and He is in control. I invite you to read three prophecies God spoke to Julie Green that will help us to stand firm in the days to come.

Go to Julie Green International Ministries and click on prophecies. Read the following:

YOUR NATION WILL GO DARK TO TAKE DOWN THE ENEMIES FROM WITHIN—Received January 4, 2026 and published January 13, 2026.

THE ASSIGNMENT OF THIS NATION IS TO BRING DOWN THE NEW WORLD ORDER—Received January 7, 2026 and published January 14, 2026.

A GLOBAL SHUTDOWN IS COMING—Published January 16, 2026.