Three Powerful Steps in Standing for Truth

One might think that the first century church was full of heaven on earth: the apostles were present, miracles were abundant, and revelation was fresh and new. The books of 1, 2, and 3 John, however, give us an open window into severe inner tensions within Christ’s body.

In 1 John we discover “many” deceivers, false prophets, and antichrists had left the church and were in the world (1 John 2:18; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 7). John says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19).

Paul warned the leaders of the Ephesian church that wolves would enter into the church and false deceivers would arise from within the flock and seek to destroy it (Acts 20:29, 30). In spite of Paul having planted the church, Timothy and then the Apostle John subsequently serving as pastors of the church, Paul’s prophecies came to pass.

While they left the church, in 2 John we discover these same “deceivers” still seeking to sow deadly poison into God’s assembly. Although they had left the church, they were not done seeking to destroy God’s family. They arrogantly sought an entrance back in to the church as itinerant speakers to spread their antichrist deceptions.

In 3 John we discover an unabashed defamer still inside the church, Diotrephes, viciously accusing the last living Apostle John, slamming the door shut to godly itinerate missionaries, and seeking to excommunicate those who would show them support. Diotrephes, a lover of preeminence would have great sympathy with those deceivers who left the church and were seeking to bring their pernicious doctrines back inside the church.

Putting these events together, what is the church to do? John gives us three powerful steps to stand up to the many deceivers and Diotrephes types who come against the church.

We must passionately obey God’s commands. In 1 John, the Apostle circles around God’s commands for us to believe, love, and live righteously. 1 John 4:21 concludes John’s love chapter by saying, “This commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.” It is by our obedience to His commands that we demonstrate “we do know that we know Him” (1 John 2:3). Obedience to God’s word marks God’s true people. By this, they ever continue to grow in faith, love, and righteousness. Deceivers like Diotrophes have no interest in furthering God’s purposes as their focus is upon their own agenda.

We must deeply abide in the true doctrine of Christ. John says, “he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9b). John tells us glorious truth of Christ in His writings. Jesus Christ is the eternal Creator (1 John 1:1; John 1:1-3), the sinless Man (1 John 1:1, 2), fully God (1 John 4:9), the substitutionary Lamb (1 John 3:16), the coming King (1 John 2:28), and the sovereign Judge (1 John 4:17). We must know and love our “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father” (2 John 3b). Jesus is the “true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20) and we are to ever abide in Him (John 15).

We must tenaciously walk in the truth. While we love one another, we must not be naive to error or intimidated by those who are enemies of the Gospel. There are deceivers outside and sometimes inside the church. Knowing the truth will give us discernment to know those who are false prophets and those who are not. John writes to Gaius in 3 John to walk in truth and receive those brethren who lived for the sake of Christ’s name. This would land him in deep water with Diotrephes who would seek to excommunicate him from the church. God’s people must stand for truth in the church and fight for that truth. Gaius was to be tenacious and discerning to receive true brethren while not backing down to Diotrephes nor follow his wicked example.

Tribulations will come even in our church life, but we know Christ will build His church and the deceivers along with their cohorts like Diotrephes working for the gates of hell will not prevail against His truth. May God give us His power to passionately obey His commands, deeply abide in His doctrine, and tenaciously walk in His truth!

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Matt Recker is the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in New York City.