Do not join in their deception
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and do not greet him; for the one who greets him shares in his evil works. 2 John 1:10-11 CSB
Deception is still Satan’s favorite tool in his arsenals to mislead people. As we saw from our last week’s devotional, John wants the believers to protect the truth regarding Christ. In this passage we have here, the language can seem harsh, because believers are called to love one another as Christ has loved them. The Lord Jesus Christ even extends the command that we have to love our enemies. “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Yet, we have clear boundaries set up here against the false teachers, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching (meaning the teachings of Christ), do not receive him into your home and do not greet him; for the one who greets him shares in his evil works.” There are false teachers that are out there whose purpose is to satisfy their appetite for greed and their teachings could lead to destruction. And there are false teachers referred to by John as “antichrist” whose aim is to bring people to the evil one. “Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world” (1 John 4:3). Back in the day, inns were sparce. If you were a traveling missionary or teacher, you would have to depend on being able to stay at a person’s home and rely on their support to continue your work. Should a Christian be concerned about the soul of this teacher? Yes, by taking full control of the situation, he should instruct the teacher in the doctrines of Christ but must never allow the teacher to enter the Christian’s home and permit him to teach for such action could lead to acceptance of the false teachings. John is also saying here that believers should not host these false teachers within their homes, for if they do, they are supporting their ability to reach others and deceive people, sharing in their evil work. In our current time, there are plenty of religious groups that ask for financial support. We need to be wary of who we are supporting with our time and funds. As John had stated previously: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
