Text and Memory Verse
2 John 4 — “I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.”
WALK IN TRUTH IS TO LOVE IN THE TRUTH
The apostle John, in this short epistle (2 John), teaches that one’s love for others—especially for the brethren—is rooted in truth. Love that sacrifices truthfulness is empty and false; it is not sanctioned or upheld by Scripture. The Lord Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and to love the Risen Christ is the central reality of the Christian life. As the apostle Paul declared, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). True love is in Christ—He is the source and reason for our love.
Loving the truth is rejoicing in the truth. John writes, “I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth” (2 John 4a). The great apostle Paul describes the character of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.”
Sound doctrine in Scripture is truth and must not be forsaken or abandoned for the sake of a humanly defined love. When love is built on human wisdom rather than divine truth, Scripture’s teachings are compromised and forgotten. The words and teachings of the Lord are truth and must be practiced purely in all things and in every situation as we live for Christ. It is essential to practice truth in Christ so that our faithfulness to Him is evident: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32).
The living Christ is the Truth; let us follow Him in truth. There is no alternative but to walk in truth all the way, pressing on until His blessed and glorious appearing!
Prayer and Practice
Dear Heavenly Father, enable us to walk in truth and live out that truth daily by Your grace, mercy, and the power of the Spirit of truth dwelling in us. In Christ’s Name, Amen.
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