Second John Defines Genuine Love

Second John has only 13 verses. But I love how it concisely explains the meaning of love.

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” Verse 6

Culture defines love as approval, but God ties love to obedience because all of His commands are loving and given for our best good.

 

When 2 John was written, the church was dealing with a number of false teachings, such as antinomianism which taught that you could know God while disobeying His commands. (See We Are Those Who Have Died to Sin, Not Antinomians.)

This reminds me of the progressive Christian movement (also called the ex-vangelical movement). These extremely popular New York Times best-selling authors have rejected Bible-believing faith and created a new Jesus who approves of ungodly lifestyles. (See Wilderness Wanderers.) 

Along with many others in our world, these false teachers have redefined love as if 2 John 1:6 says, “This is love: that we walk away from God’s commands and make everyone feel comfortable in their sins.” 

They embrace lies about gender, unborn life, sexual perversion, and creation. They smile and give a thumbs up as people damage their souls (2 Corinthians 4:4), calling Christians “hateful” when we share God’s loving warnings. 

 

I'm glad that God defines love, not mankind. We can be assured that we are acting in love when we “walk in obedience to his commands.”

 

 

For more about God's definition of love, see Enjoying Obedience and The World's Definition of Loving Others and God's Definition.

 

And click the image to discover how Lies in Disguise can help you better understand God's love and avoid harmful half-truths being taught in many churches. Find out the subjects of each chapter, read some reviews, and find out where to buy it at a discounted price.  

 

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide for Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE.

 

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The Gospel According to Oprah

Years ago, talk show host Oprah Winfrey said she started rejecting Christian beliefs when she heard that God is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 6:15).  She said she couldn't believe in a god who was “jealous of her” (source/ video /video minute 7:50).  

 

It's amazing that anyone would think God is jealous of them!!  In truth, God is jealous for us.

He knows what's best for us and wants us to devote ourselves to Him and His purposes, not to false gods. And self-love is a false god:   

 

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

 

It's hard to believe Oprah thinks our perfect, infinite, all-knowing, glorious God envies her.

“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.”  Galatians 6:3

When we focus on ourselves, we don't understand God's incredible grace because we don't understand our incredible sinfulness and desperate need for a Savior. Instead of being humbled by God's undeserved love for us, we're emboldened by our unreasonable love for ourselves.

 

Let's pray for Oprah and others like her. 

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To read more about the meaning of God's jealousy, see: Our Jealous God.

And check out Lies in Disguise, a book that can help you better understand the way self-love is damaging church and culture and how to combat it with Scripture: Full description of the book, Lies in Disguise. 

 

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide for Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE. 

 Picture of Oprah Creative Commons. 

 

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Should We Be Offended by "Onward Christian Soldiers"?

I recently heard “Onward Christian Soldiers” given a heavy metal sound (here). And while I’m not a fan of heavy metal music, I found this version inspiring.

 

The song was originally written in 1864 for a British Sunday school class marching from one village to another.
 

It has received some backlash and even been removed from some hymnals because people were offended by equating Christians to marching soldiers. Some have even associated it with the social gospel instead of true faith. But I think this criticism shows a failure to understand that the Christian life is a battle. 

• We are fighting our enemy, Satan.
• We are seeking to rescue the unsaved from his deadly arrows of deception. 
• We're seeking to stop his attacks on faithful believers. 

You won’t find negative attitudes toward soldiers in Scripture. Jesus claimed that a Gentile soldier had amazing faith, better than any He’d seen in Israel (Matthew 8:5-13).*
 

In addition, Scripture sometimes equates us to soldiers in a spiritual battle:
 

Paul tells Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3).

And Ephesians 6:10-17 describes spiritual battle gear every Christian needs, both defensive and offensive: the full armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit.

 

See also Acts 10,  Philippians 2:25, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Philemon 1:2.

If we aren’t taking the battle seriously, we are going to fall prey to “the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

 

So let's march onward, Christian soldiers! 

 

* See 3 Reasons the Centurion's Faith Amazed Jesus and Reflect on This. 

The battle we fight today is filled with half-truth propaganda. I encourage you to check out Lies in Disguise, which can make you aware of popular half-truths and prepare you to refute them. Click the image to read the chapter descriptions, reviews, and sites where you can purchase it at discounted prices.   

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide to Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE.

Info about the hymn: source 

 

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Recognizing Evolution Is Nonsense

These one-minute devotions explore the error of evolution and the way it has been used to undermine Christian creation beliefs.

Nothing Magically Evolved
Evolution is a religion. No matter what evolutionists claim, they need a great deal of faith to believe it.

 

Why Our Beliefs about Evolution Matter
What we believe about our origins has a huge impact on everything in our lives. This one-minute devotion explains.

Scripture Warns of Scoffers 
Did you know Scripture warns that people will scoff at God as Creator?

 

The Bible Says They Are Without Excuse 

According to Scripture, most people are fools when it comes to origins. The Bible says they're without excuse. 

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Amid the Crowd: Our Struggle and Our Victory

 

 

Jesus says we'll be hated if we reject worldly beliefs and follow Him (John 15:18-19). It's comforting to know that despite the world's rejection, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:18-39).

My dear aunt Donna recently shared this poem with me, written by her friend Jane Dill Thomas.* I think it beautifully expresses both our struggle and our victory:  

 

 Amid The Crowd
by Jane Dill Thomas

Had I been at the cross that day
As Jesus bled and died
Would I have dared to call Him, Friend,
With soldiers by my side?

Would I have cried amid the mob
To set my Savior free?
Would I have known that Christ alone
Would reign eternally?

How does the world differ
In its views of Christ today
And how can I influence men
By what I have to say?

Today I walk amid a crowd
That’s ready to condemn
And often find I’m hesitant
To say, “I follow Him.”

But Jesus gives me words to speak
To ears that want to hear.
He daily fills me with His love
And takes away my fear.

And as I pray for deeper faith
And courage to be strong
My Savior gently leads me
And chastises when I’m wrong.

So how can I be silent
When the crowd calls out to me?
My Jesus wants the world to know
His love brings victory!

💙💙💙 

* Jane Dill Thomas was born into a Christian family and gave her life to the Lord at age ten. As an adult, she did several years of ministry on the Navajo Ganado Mission, where she met and married her husband in 1968. She enjoys writing poetry.

For more inspiration, see Why We Need to Remember that We Were Born for Such a Time as This and Don't Fear Speaking Up. 

 

 

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How God Judges a Person's Contribution

Sometimes we think valuable Christian work belongs to the talented people in life, those with the greatest skills.

But God cares about motive and character more than talent. 

He gives us a biblical motive for everything we do, and the focus is not on our gifts:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

He tells us that our character is important, no matter the task: 

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10

He assures us that He has specific purposes for each of us:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10

Whenever we judge a man's skill above his character and motives, we make a serious mistake. God is looking for men and women who love Him, obey Him, and seek to do everything for His glory and purposes.  

Let's be that kind of person!

💙💙💙 

For a devotion about my least favorite task, see Cleaning Bathrooms. And I think you'll also enjoy How God Views Careers.

 

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the Book, Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs, and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full Description of the Book, Lies in Disguise. A much-needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

 

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What Lost Keys Tell Us About Seeking God

                                                         by Marika Marton

Jeremiah 29:13 says: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

Recently, this verse has become my favorite. I am amazed that the almighty and most holy God makes Himself available to mortal people—that He allows Himself to be found. Yet we cannot find Him if we seek Him casually. We must seek Him with “all our heart.”

 

But what does that really look like?

I was discussing it with a friend, and he shared a simple, powerful illustration. He compared seeking God to searching for something extremely valuable that was lost.

He said: “Imagine you are looking for your lost keys. You desperately need them—you truly want to find them. You would not walk into the room, glance left and right, and then give up. You would search every corner, every hidden place, every drawer and closet, under and behind every object until you found them, because they are so important to you.”

Jesus told two parables about how we should pursue and cherish the Kingdom of Heaven. One was about a hidden treasure, the other was about a precious pearl. In both cases, it was so important and valuable to the men who found them that they sold everything they had to obtain them.

God is not far from any of us (Acts 17:25-27). He wants us to seek Him wholeheartedly: passionately, earnestly, and persistently. If you have never sought Him the way described in this illustration, begin today—and you will find Him.

🔑🔑🔑

 

For more insights, see Do You Treat the Word of God as a Treasure? and God-Fearers Are Always Seeking to Know God Better.

 

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5 Ways to Stand Firm Against "Christian" Weeds

Did you know there are “weeds” in our churches?

Jesus explains in Matthew 13:24-30 that there are people in our fellowships who are “weeds” planted by Satan. They look similar to the wheat (true believers) planted by God. But like weeds in a field, they try to choke out the healthy plants.

So what can we do, especially when these weeds are often hard to recognize?

We must: 

 
1. Judge all things biblically like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11). 

 
2. Graciously warn fellow believers of sin (Galatians 6:1).

 
3. Support the church in judging members living ungodly lifestyles (Matthew 18:15-17).

 
4. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5).

 
5. Avoid temptation (1 Corinthians 10:12-13).

This last point is especially important because the weeds want us to compromise God's values, and it's easy to accept sinful behavior if others have accepted it. 

But God judges us by His standard, not the standards of others (2 Corinthians 10:18), and He gives us the strength to stand firm.

One day, at the harvest, God will “collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned,” and He will gather the wheat and take us to His heavenly home in paradise.

So let's not let these worldly Christians damage or compromise our faith! Let's grow closer to our Lord every day!

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For more insights, see Wanderers, Weeds, Sleepers, or Children of Light? and Outward Godliness Isn't Godliness.

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the Book, Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs, and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full Description of the Book, Lies in Disguise. A much-needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith. 

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Looking for Delight in God's Word

In my book Wisdom for Life, I offer a “For Further Thought” section after each devotion. After the one-minute devotion for Day 28, I encourage readers to go through Psalm 119, and each time they see the word delight, to take note of what delights the psalmist.

Doing a word search is one of many ways to see things in a passage we may have missed before. It helps us gain a deeper understanding of certain aspects of our salvation in Christ. 

It's best if you keep a journal, writing out the verse where the word is found.* But even if you simply underline it in your Bible, it helps.

Sometimes we think Bible study must involve complicated, detailed methods. But God's Word is a treasure chest of clear, simple, and life-changing truths that everyone can understand, no matter their education or method (2 Peter 1:3).

I have a master's degree from a seminary, but I've learned far more by studying God's Word during my personal quiet times.

Why not choose one new way from the list below to grow in your understanding of God's Word (2 Timothy 2:15).

A Fun Word Study

Dwelling on Scripture (3x3 method)

5 Ideas for Studying the Bible

Creative Bible Study 

💙 Please check out the Bible Love Notes devotional, Wisdom for Life. It features one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and offers a "For Further Thought" idea with each devotion so you can easily dig a bit deeper into God's Word. It's a great way to take more delight in God's Word and is on sale at reduced prices on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD.  

* According to studies, “Writing by hand instead of typing deepens content processing and supports emotional health. Regularly practicing handwriting may improve brain structure and function. While slower than digital, writing by hand daily may help fight cognitive decline.” (source)

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Free Study Guide For Bible Love Notes Subscribers

It’s Here!

The Lies in Disguise PDF study guide is ready, and it's free for all Bible Love Notes subscribers.

If you haven't already purchased your Lies in Disguise book, it's available at reduced prices from CLC Publishers, Amazon, and CBD. And in the UK, it's available at CLC-UK and Eden UK.

To get the study guide, simply reply to the next Bible Love Notes devotion you get in your email, and tell us you'd like the study guide. 

What's in the Study Guide?

It's more than 50 pages of insights and resources, addressing each chapter and each section in the book. You'll find multiple links to Bible Love Notes devotions that reinforce the subjects covered. You'll also find additional articles from other sources. Our goal is to help you better understand the concepts taught in Lies in Disguise so you can explain them to others.  

I think you'll find this helpful for individual use, but doubly helpful if you lead a group study. 

Digging Deeper Pages 

The Digging Deeper questions are on separate pages if you'd like to run them off, but if you use them on your computer, tablet, or phone, you'll be able to click the links for each Scripture reference.

Limited Time Zoom Offer for Larger Bible Studies 

For a limited time, we will offer another free service to Bible Love Notes subscribers. If you organize a Bible study group of 10 or more, and you'd like to set up one Zoom question-and-answer class during your study, my husband and I would be glad to answer questions. We just need to have advance notice to schedule the time and day.

If you know someone who'd like to subscribe to Bible Love Notes to take advantage of the free study guide, please refer them to Stay Connected, which explains that Bible Love Notes subscriptions are free and safe. 

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