Walking in Truth and Love

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
2 John 4–11
+
Walking in Truth and Love
The essence of our God is love. In his great love, he has made you his own children by the blood of Jesus. This Jesus keeps the law when we couldn’t. His love is manifest in the perfect keeping of the law in accordance with the will of his Father. The commandment that John gives is not a new one. We are to love one another, and we can love one another because God first loved us. The very essence of God has become our essence in our baptism. We have been wrapped in the very righteousness of Jesus and the image of God is restored to us by his work of love on the cross. Because of Jesus we now can trust in God, love him, and fear him. Now we have the Son and the Father. We are a called-out people. We have the name of God and the mark of his Holy Spirit. That means that our daily life is different. We bear the burdens of our neighbor. We deny ourselves like Jesus gave up the riches of heaven to rescue and save the lost. It is the very love of God that binds us up as one people, the holy people of God.