Today’s passage: 2 John 1:4
Focus verse: It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth. (2 John 1:4)
Truth is a recurring theme in John’s writing. He addresses it in twenty-three verses in his biography of Jesus, the gospel of John. The word appears more there than in any other book in the Bible.
In second place is 1 John, with ten verses. Third John has five more, with four verses about truth here in 2 John.
John is a champion of the truth.
In his writing, he talks about us knowing the truth, living in the truth, and belonging to the truth. He wants the truth to be in us. And the truth can set us free. We can work in the truth and walk in the truth, just as some of the children of the chosen lady.
But what does John mean when he talks about the truth?
Since John writes with a poetic flair, we’ll do best to interpret these passages as more lyrical than literal.
In this way, the truth emerges as the message of the good news about Jesus, of him being the way to salvation and eternal life—all themes we’ve covered. And it’s not a stretch to see Jesus as personifying the truth—or as the truth personified in Jesus.
With Jesus as the truth, when we follow him, we walk in the truth—just as some of the chosen lady’s children.
For her part, the chosen lady, no doubt, desires to pass her faith on to her kids. She’s a good mom, one who does her best to raise her children well. As a result, some of her kids live God-honoring lives.
They walk in the truth. But not all do. Some pick up her legacy. Others do not.
She has done what she can to raise her kids right, but how they decide to live their lives is up to them. John affirms her actions, but he doesn’t hold her accountable for results outside her control.
Whether we are parents of biological children or spiritual children, we need to do our best to raise our offspring well. Though we can’t control which path our kids take, we can—and should—point them in the right direction.
Questions:
- What does truth mean to you?
- What can we do to be a better parent to our children and those God brings into our lives?
- If you have biological children, are they also your spiritual children? Explain.
- Who are your spiritual children?
- When have we taken on needless guilt for what happens outside our control?
Discover more about parenting in Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4, and 1 Timothy 1:18–19.
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Discover practical, insightful, and encouraging truths in Love One Another, a devotional Bible study to foster a deeper appreciation for the two greatest commandments: To love God and to love others.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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