Have you gone too far?
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2 John 9
Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
This verse continues John’s thoughts about the false teachers, deceivers, antichrists who were a threat to the beloved. In verse 8, he warned them to watch out that they didn’t get hindered by their lies. In this verse, John circled back to the essential doctrine of the incarnation and its reward, namely, the abiding presence of both the Father and the Son.
From John’s perspective, these false teachers had run right past the incarnation of God in the flesh with His teachings to believe in Him and love one another. He said in verse 7 that they didn’t acknowledge Jesus Christ in the flesh, meaning they passed over it. They ran past it. They went on to other teachings that were not founded and grounded in the life of Christ. That proved to John that they did not have God.
Those who have the Father and the Son don’t run past the teaching that Jesus is God incarnate. They abide, dwell, and remain grounded in that great truth. They live in and through Him! That’s as far as their search needs to go. They’ve found the way, the truth, and the life. As His word abides in them, they abide in Him. Listen to what John heard from Jesus. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:7-10).
The way we love God is to obey His command to love one another. Remember what John wrote in vs. 6? “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.” Those who live to love with Jesus are abiding in the teaching of Christ. They know they have both the Father and the Son. May I ask you, “Have you gone too far? Are you satisfied with Jesus? Or are you searching for something or someone in this world to satisfy your soul? If you are, you have gone too far. Your continued search for something more indicates you don’t have the Father and the Son in your life. If you did have Him, you wouldn’t be searching for more.
Those who abide in the teaching of Jesus Christ, know they are profoundly and eternally loved and have found life, life indeed, in Jesus. That’s the source of living to love with Jesus.