2 John 1:2

In verses 1 and 2 John puts the strongest possible emphasis on truth. The letter itself tells us what we must do to defend the truth. The first thing we find is that truth is the foundation of every Christian relationship and affection, and truth is to govern them. The love that belongs to Christians is "in the truth", because it grows as the fruit of our having been born of God.

And this is how we judge it: "because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever." The apostle loved the lady and her children, but he loved them because of the truth. Where that was absent, there could be no divine love.

John's love for this godly woman and her children was both formed and limited by the truth — by the revelation of God in Christ. Every heart that treasures the truth must love those who are also under its power. That love will show itself "because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever." Human affection springs from our favourites and preferences, and people often mistake it for divine love. A scripture like this gives the test and the correction we need.

That points in two directions. The love must be sincere, free from the favouritism that is so natural to the flesh. It must also refuse to tolerate evil, since truth and error can never agree. This letter states the second of these two points. The third letter deals with the first.

The Spirit who lives in us is the Spirit of truth, and so the truth lives in us. Forever we shall be with Christ, who is the Truth, and so the truth shall be with us forever. This truth lives in us because we have the Spirit of truth. It is meant to mark our character and find proper expression in us. Others should be able to see it, and to testify to it if that is needed.

It is precious to see here that the truth dwells or abides in believers. It is not just an occasional visitor. And it abides with us forever. It is living and permanent, and there is no possibility of a child of God losing it.

The Spirit of truth will abide in us forever. His truth is not subject to the changing moods of time. It is unchangeable and unalterable. There is no development. It is not subject to an evolutionary process. The truth is "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). This indwelling truth within the believer is the great preservative against error.

Here we find another principle of life... that which dwells in us characterizes our walk. If Satan's lie lives in us, we are bound to walk in falsehood and crookedness in our dealings with God. When the Spirit of God puts truth in us (as we saw in 2 John 2), we shall walk in the truth, even while we walk in the middle of this crooked world. The walk of a Christian is to be light in the middle of darkness, and truth in the middle of error.