Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20120222.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
2 John: The Exclusionary Limits Of Fellowship With God In The Local Church
Part II: Setting The Church's Exclusionary Fellowship Limit To Guard Its Truth
(2 John 7-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. We face pressure today to be doctrinally inclusive in our fellowship: a February 20, 2012 article, "Why evangelicals should get over Romney hang-ups" by professing evangelical, Nancy French in the USA TODAY, p. 7A claims evangelicals should "stop using the word cult'" for Mormons such as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, for "(i)t's a loaded term that evokes the imagery of mind control."
    2. Without discussing how believers should vote, we note that Mormonism claims (and we cite a Mormon source): "The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus in the morning of pre-existence,'" Mormon Doctrine, p. 192, and that "Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both," Ibid., p. 163 as cited by Christian Apologetics Research Ministry ( carm.org/mormon-beliefs).
    3. However, 2 John 7-13 teaches those who hold to such views must be excluded from church fellowship:
  2. Setting The Church's Exclusionary Fellowship Limit To Guard Its Truth, 2 John 7-13.
    1. After explaining various reasons why the truth is valuable to the local church's existence and function in 2 John 1-6 (see our last lesson), John wrote that God wanted believers in Christ to walk in the truth of His commands throughout Church History as Jesus had directed in the beginning, 2 John 6b; John 13:34.
    2. There is an important reason for such a walk, and it is introduced by the Greek term, hoti rendered "because" in 2 John 7a; U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 827; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 907.
    3. That reason is that many deceivers are gone into the world who do not acknowledge (homologeo = "confess, agree," Ibid.; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T. , 1967, p. 571) Jesus Christ as "coming in the flesh," where the present participle of erchomai rendered "is come" (KJV), "as coming" (NIV) "focuses on the principle involved in the Incarnation: Jesus taking on (coming in) and continuing with a human nature," Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., 2 John 7b (emphases ours).
    4. This statement has massive applications on identifying cultic error promoted by the deceivers (as follows):
      1. Some say Jesus was created versus being Eternal God (Arius, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons), but John asserts He as [Eternal] God continually took on humanity, Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; John 1:1-3.
      2. Some say Jesus is the Eternal God, but that He did not truly take on humanity to be God Incarnate (Docetism), but John asserts the Eternal God continually took on humanity, Isa. 9:6; John 1:1-3, 14.
      3. Some say Jesus was God only at a certain time (Cerinthus), but that at another time He was merely a man, but John asserts the Eternal God Incarnate continually took on humanity, Col ossians 2:9.
    5. Those who thus deny the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Eternal God continually come in humanity are thus classified as deceivers and antichrists, very strong language by the Apostle John, 2 John 7c.
    6. Thus, we believers throughout Church History must watch ourselves that we not err regarding this truth of the Incarnation, that we not lose what we have worked to gain of God's reward for good beliefs, 2 John 8.
    7. To that end, whoever does not continue in the teaching of Christ's Incarnation as detailed in 2 John 7 does not have God in the sense of "leaving God behind" in his ministry, or doing what he does without the Lord and His ministry blessing in it, 2 John 9a; Ibid., p. 907-908.
    8. However, he who remains in this doctrine has God the Father and God the Son in his ministry, 2 John 9b.
    9. Due to the importance of this doctrine of the Incarnation, John noted that if anyone came to his readers not holding to this teaching, they were not to receive him into the house (oikos, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 828; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 562-563) nor even to give him a verbal (lego, Ibid., p. 828; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 469-471) greeting (chairo , Ibid., p. 881-882) 2 John 10. Otherwise, one who gives such a party a verbal greeting partakes with his evil deeds because he encourages this false teacher, 2 John 11.
    10. John then closed his letter, noting he planned to see his readers and to speak more fully in person with them, and he added that the members of their sister church sent their greetings to them, 2 John 12-13.
Lesson Application: The cults deny Jesus is the Eternal God Who is permanently come in human flesh, and since holding this belief in the Incarnation is essential for God's reward and fellowship in service, to guard our stand on it, we must exclude from our church fellowship all who do not hold this doctrine.