NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH . . . AND LOVE (1 OF 4)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: 2 John1:1-13
This content is part of a series.
Nothing but the Truth . . . And Love (1 of 4)
Series: Summer Postcards
Keith Krell
2 John
In 1992 Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson starred in a film called, ''A Few Good Men.'' Cruise played the role of a rookie military lawyer (Lt. Daniel Kaffee) who had to defend two Marines accused of murdering a fellow Marine. The soldiers claimed they were acting on direct orders. Nicholson played a tough Marine colonel (Nathan R. Jessep) with a serious chip on his shoulder. In the most climactic scene, Cruise has placed Nicholson on the stand and is interrogating him. Cruise is getting nowhere and finally yells, ''I want the truth!'' Nicholson shouts back, ''You can't handle the truth!''
The letter of 2 John is for those who can handle the truth. It was Pontius Pilate who asked the classic question: ''What is truth'' (John 18:38)? For our purposes, truth is the conviction that the Scriptures are the inerrant and authoritative Word of God. We measure truth by what the Bible says. Unfortunately, our culture, by and large, no longer adheres to truth in many moral and spiritual matters. Research reveals that One-third of all American adults believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Even more concerning is that 44 percent of born-again adults and 9 percent of born-again teenagers are certain of the existence of absolute moral truth. No doubt a similar, if not higher, percentage would say they don't believe in absolute doctrinal truth.
Despite the moral relativism of today's world and even the church, the apostle John lays out absolute truth in 2 John. Second John may be the most neglected book in the New Testament. In fact in forty-five years of weekly church attendance, I've never heard a sermon on it. Nevertheless, the letter demands to be preached. While 2 John is the second shortest book in the Bible, it packs a wallop. In a mere thirteen verses the apostle John declares that we must love in the truth.
1. Greeting (1:1-3). The a ...
Series: Summer Postcards
Keith Krell
2 John
In 1992 Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson starred in a film called, ''A Few Good Men.'' Cruise played the role of a rookie military lawyer (Lt. Daniel Kaffee) who had to defend two Marines accused of murdering a fellow Marine. The soldiers claimed they were acting on direct orders. Nicholson played a tough Marine colonel (Nathan R. Jessep) with a serious chip on his shoulder. In the most climactic scene, Cruise has placed Nicholson on the stand and is interrogating him. Cruise is getting nowhere and finally yells, ''I want the truth!'' Nicholson shouts back, ''You can't handle the truth!''
The letter of 2 John is for those who can handle the truth. It was Pontius Pilate who asked the classic question: ''What is truth'' (John 18:38)? For our purposes, truth is the conviction that the Scriptures are the inerrant and authoritative Word of God. We measure truth by what the Bible says. Unfortunately, our culture, by and large, no longer adheres to truth in many moral and spiritual matters. Research reveals that One-third of all American adults believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Even more concerning is that 44 percent of born-again adults and 9 percent of born-again teenagers are certain of the existence of absolute moral truth. No doubt a similar, if not higher, percentage would say they don't believe in absolute doctrinal truth.
Despite the moral relativism of today's world and even the church, the apostle John lays out absolute truth in 2 John. Second John may be the most neglected book in the New Testament. In fact in forty-five years of weekly church attendance, I've never heard a sermon on it. Nevertheless, the letter demands to be preached. While 2 John is the second shortest book in the Bible, it packs a wallop. In a mere thirteen verses the apostle John declares that we must love in the truth.
1. Greeting (1:1-3). The a ...
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