BJ McConnell
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Sept 28, 2019 2:32:20 GMT -5
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Favorite Verse: 2 Cor 5:17
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Post by BJ McConnell on Dec 20, 2019 3:07:16 GMT -5
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BJ McConnell
Forum Owner
Sept 28, 2019 2:32:20 GMT -5
Posts: 246 Amens: 13
Favorite Verse: 2 Cor 5:17
Bible Study Member?: Yes
Born Again Christian?: Yes
User Offline
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Post by BJ McConnell on Jan 1, 2020 5:21:50 GMT -5
As I read John's third epistle, I find two key verses speaking to me. Verses five and eleven both echo the teachings of Jesus himself. First let's compare John's words in his letter to Gaius to the words of Jesus in the Gospel According to John:
John is, no doubt, reciting the words of his teacher. So when we read the fifth verse here, we need to understand that John is telling us that to be faithful we need to be obeying the commandment of Jesus, that we love one another. John even simplifies the commandment for us as he tells us that we should be doing this to both the brethren AND to strangers. Does that seem familiar to you? It should and I'm sure it does to all believers. Look at Jesus' words in Matthew:
So in a nutshell, John, in verse five, is reminding us of the two commandments that Jesus gave all believers. That makes for a powerful piece of scripture. This third epistle may be the shortest book in the Bible, but in a single verse, John manages to insert one of the most profound lessons in all of Christianity.
And how much are we to love the brethren and strangers, or as Jesus put it, our neighbors? The answer to that question is found in the cross. Jesus set the bar and showed everyone what it takes to love your neighbor when he was crucified. He went to the cross without guilt, without reason and when presented the chance to defend himself he wouldn't even open his mouth, as was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah:
But I don't think it stops there. If we again look at what verse five says, another scripture comes to mind. And again, the words of Jesus seem to be mirrored in this one verse from John's epistle. This time Jesus is responding to a question from the disciples in parables, and when it came to how we treat others, Jesus was very clear:
Verse five is so important when you look back and see where John's words originate by comparing it with the teachings Jesus gave to the disciples during his ministry on the earth. As we can see in this parable from Jesus, our treatment of the brethren and strangers carries eternal consequences. I'd say that's more than important, it's vital to our Christian walk.
Now, moving on to verse eleven, here we find that John, prior to verse eleven, is explaining in his letter that there is a brother in their assembly that seems to have a problem following the commandment to love the brethren. In fact, this Diotrephes appears to be a control freak. He's not an apostate, per se, but John tells us that he loves to be the important man in the church so much that he refuses to receive the apostles and even forbids others to do so. What's worse is Diotrephes is apparently casting others out of the church who try to receive the apostles and the brethren traveling with them. He sounds more like a Pharisee than a follower of Christ.
When we get to verse eleven we find John telling the brethren of this local assembly not to follow the example of Diotrephes. In addition, John explains to the assembly that there is a direct correlation between our works, good or bad, and our relationship with God:
John's words here is verse eleven once again show us that how we treat others has eternal consequences. David confirms this in Psalm 37, undoubtedly the source from which John draws his statement:
When you put David's words together with John's, we see that if we do good we are of God, to which David adds that we will dwell for evermore, or, eternally. Don't get me wrong though, I am not saying good works is enough to secure eternity with God. We must remember that works will not save us, only faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as an atonement for our sins can secure our place in Heaven.
The last thing I took notice of in John's third epistle is actually a little amusing if you think about it. Going back to verse ten, John's verbiage when describing Diotrephes, he uses the word "prating" as he says that Diotrephes has been "prating against us with malicious words". After cross referencing verse ten I'm convinced that John chose his words very carefully here in order to take a jab at Diotrephes. What makes me say that? Look at Solomon's words found in Proverbs:
One has to think John was well aware of what he was writing and where it came from, so basically, I believe John was calling Diotrephes a fool.
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Post by lorikay on Jan 4, 2020 22:05:57 GMT -5
My main focus was just as yours, the 5th verse, I feel this is a reading that needs emphasis. To me it comes across as we should always be a reflection of God especially to the unsaved and strangers. When others see us they should see a child of God, when they look they see his love radiate from us. Living it on a daily basis is hard, yes and we will make mistakes, but our mistakes should be less and our deeds exceeding. I want to be that person, am I now, no, but I do try each day to be a reflection of him in some way.
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BJ McConnell
Forum Owner
Sept 28, 2019 2:32:20 GMT -5
Posts: 246 Amens: 13
Favorite Verse: 2 Cor 5:17
Bible Study Member?: Yes
Born Again Christian?: Yes
User Offline
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Post by BJ McConnell on Jan 4, 2020 22:19:27 GMT -5
My main focus was just as yours, the 5th verse, I feel this is a reading that needs emphasis. To me it comes across as we should always be a reflection of God especially to the unsaved and strangers. When others see us they should see a child of God, when they look they see his love radiate from us. Living it on a daily basis is hard, yes and we will make mistakes, but our mistakes should be less and our deeds exceeding. I want to be that person, am I now, no, but I do try each day to be a reflection of him in some way. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that love needs to radiate from us. It's God's love that is going to draw people to Him, not our judgement. Sadly, as Christians, many of us spend more time judging than loving. Verse 5 is a direct correlation to Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors as our selves. Great insight!
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