| 2 John 1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. 12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
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约翰二书 1 我这作长老的，写信给蒙拣选的夫人和她的儿女。你们是我在真理中所爱的；不单是我，凡认识真理的， 2 也因为真理的缘故爱你们。这真理在我们里面，也必与我们同在，直到永远。 3 愿恩惠、怜悯、平安，从父 神和他儿子耶稣基督在真理和爱中与我们同在。 4 我看见你的儿女中，有人照着我们从父领受的命令在真理中行事，我就非常欣慰。 5 夫人哪，我现在请求你，我们要彼此相爱。我写给你的，不是一条新命令，而是我们从起初就有的。 6 我们要照着他的命令行事，这就是爱。你们从起初所听见的那命令，就是要你们凭着爱心行事。 7 有许多欺骗人的已经在世上出现，他们否认耶稣基督是成了肉身来的；这就是那骗人的和敌基督的。 8 你们要小心，不要拆毁我们已经完成的工作，却要得着美满的赏赐。 9 凡越过基督的教训又不持守的，就没有 神；持守这教训的，就有父和子了。 10 如果有人到你们那里，不传这教训，你们就不要接待他到家里，也不要问候他； 11 因为问候他的，就在他的恶事上有分了。 12 我还有许多话要写给你们，可是我不想借用纸墨，只是盼望到你们那里当面谈谈，好让我们的喜乐充足。 13 你那蒙拣选的姊妹的儿女都问候你。
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| Introduction |
引言 |
| Have you ever heard one of these statements? “I wish Christians would just be more loving?” Or perhaps “Christians really ought to be more accepting of others like Jesus.” statements like this are said when debating a particular belief or teaching from the Bible that may be seen in our culture as intolerant or out of step with our culture. One example would be the fetal heartbeat bill, which would ban abortions within a state after the point where the heartbeat of the baby can be detected. There is the possibility of this being signed into legislation in Georgia, and the threat of Hollywood departing the state where much of their filming and production takes place. |
你听过以下其中一种说法吗？ “我希望基督徒要更有爱心” 或 “基督徒真的应该更像耶稣这样接受他人。”通常当圣经中的特定信念或教导与当前主流文化格格不入的情况下我们会听到这样的说法。 一个例子是“胎心法案”，就是一旦胎儿的心跳被检测到，就在本州内禁止被人工流产。 这可能会在乔治亚州签署立法，因此好莱坞威胁要撤离该州，他们大部分拍摄和制作基地都在这个州。 |
| Some of the questions that are thrown out are: “Why can’t you Christians be more loving—like Jesus? What would Jesus do here? Didn’t Jesus hang out with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and the downtrodden of society? Wouldn’t Jesus be for reproductive rights? Aren’t you Christians supposed to show unconditional love like Jesus? Doesn’t the Bible say “don’t judge others?” You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history, do you?” This isn’t a sermon on sanctity of life, but I’m using it as an illustration to help us feel the tension between the call to love like Jesus, and the commitment we ought to have to biblical truth. |
可能抛出的一些问题是：“为什么基督徒不能更有爱心——像耶稣一样？ 耶稣会怎样做？ 耶稣不是和税吏、妓女以及被压迫的社会群体在一起吗？ 耶稣不会支持生育权吗？ 难道你们基督徒不应该像耶稣一样表现出无条件的爱吗？ 圣经不是说‘不要论断人吗？’你不想被历史宣判为错误的一方，对吗？” 今天我不是在作一个关于生命尊严的讲道，我只是用它作为 一个例子，帮助我们体会在像耶稣一样去爱的呼召与我们委身圣经真理之间存在的张力。 |
| How do we as disciples of Jesus navigate in our world of increased polarization and division? Do we need more love and acceptance, more tolerance of other views? Or do we need more truth, rejecting false teaching? These two things—love and truth—often feel at odds with one another, almost mutually exclusive. Do you want to be a loving person, or a truth-telling person? |
作为耶稣的门徒，我们如何在一个日益极化与撕裂的世界中航行？ 我们需要更多的爱和接纳，更多地容忍其他的观点吗？ 还是我们需要更多的真理，拒绝错误的教导？ 这两件事 - 爱和真理 - 我们经常感觉互相矛盾，有时几乎相互排斥。 你想成为一个有爱心的人，还是一个说实话的人？ |
| There is a significant tension here like a rubber band stretched to its capacity. |
这里有一个很大的张力，就像橡皮筋拉伸到它的极限。 |
| Love: On one side we’re pulled towards love. We want relational harmony and peace. We want others to be encouraged, supported, for the marginalized to be heard and validated, and for the unloved to feel loved. We want to weep with those who weep. We see the command to love our neighbors as ourselves. We want to be empathetic and bear one another’s burdens. |
爱：一方面我们被拉向爱。 我们渴望人际关系中的和谐与和平。 我们希望他人得到鼓励和支持，让边缘人群得到倾听和认可，并让没有得到过爱的人感受到被爱。 我们想和那些哭泣的人一起哭泣。 我们明白爱人如己的命令。 我们想要善解人意并承担彼此的负担。 |
| Truth: Yet on the other side we’re pulled towards truth. We want people to know the truth, to believe the truth. We want to correct error, and for the right things to be known, believed, upheld, and celebrated. We want to be honest. We want to be people who tell it like it is, who call a spade a spade, and who are candid and clear. We don’t want to sugarcoat the truth, but rather serve others by being upfront and as honest as we can be. |
真理：而另一方面，我们也被拉向真理。 我们希望人们认识真理，相信真理。 我们希望纠正错误，传扬并持守真理。 我们想要诚实。 我们希望成为一个有一说一的人，实话实说，直言不讳，坦率而明确。 我们不想糖衣真相，而是开诚布公尽可能诚实地为他人服务。 |
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Main Point: The Apostle John’s main point in 2 John is that true biblical Christianity requires both love and truth, intertwined, fused together, and informed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are both indispensable. One without the other leaves our faith truncated and deficient. |
要点：使徒约翰在约翰二书中的主要观点是，真正合乎圣经的基督教需要爱与真理紧密交织交融，并要认识耶稣基督的福音。 它们都是不可或缺的。 缺了另一个，我们的信仰都是残缺不全的。 |
| My aim is to help us love more—not less, and to uphold, cleave to, and proclaim truth more—not less. That in our minds we would see that love and truth are so intertwined in the Christian life that we would never separate the two. That in our desire to love, we would never compromise the truth. And in our commitment to truth, we would never fail to live it out in love. |
我的目标是帮助我们更多地去爱 - 而不是更少，我们更加坚持，更加忠实，并且更多地宣扬真理-而不是更少。 希望在我们的头脑里，我们会看到爱和真理在基督徒生活中交织在一起，以至于我们永远不会将二者分开。 在我们对爱的渴望中，我们永远不会妥协真理。 在我们对真理的委身中，我们要永远在爱里活出真理。 |
| Outline |
大纲 |
| So my plan is to look at two main sections: |
所以我的计划是看两个主要部分： |
| 1.Exhortation: Love one another (4–6) |
1.劝勉：彼此相爱（4-6） |
| 2.Warning & Prohibition (7–11) |
2.警告和禁止（7-11） |
| Introduction to 2 John |
约翰二书简介 |
| Perhaps some context for 2 John would be appropriate before we begin. This is the second shortest book of the Bible with only 245 words in the Greek. It would be what one might call a “postcard epistle” since it likely fit on a single piece of papyri. It was written to guard against false teaching. |
在我们开始之前，有必要了解一下约翰二书的背景。 这是圣经中第二本最短的书，在希腊语中只有245个单词。 可能因此人们称之为“明信片书信”，因为它可能刚好写在单片纸莎草纸上。 这封信是为了警告提防假教师的教导。 |
| The letter is written by “the elder” which is likely a designation for the John the Apostle who wrote both the Gospel of John, and the Epistles of John. Here the use of “elder” references both his authority and leadership in the Christian community. He writes to “elect lady and her children.” While some believe that this might be written to an individual woman and her children, it’s more likely this was a metaphorical address by John used to describe a church and its members. Here are a few reasons: |
这封信是由“长老”写的，可能是使徒约翰的称号，他写了约翰福音书和三封约翰书信。 在这里，“长老”的使用展现了他在基督教社区中的权威和领导地位。 他写道：“蒙拣选的夫人和她的儿女。”虽然有些人认为这可能是写给某个女人和她的孩子，但这更像是约翰用来形容一个教会及其成员的隐喻性称呼。 原因如下： |
| Elect: The use of “elect” or “chosen” likely refers to the church, rather than as an individual name. |
拣选：“拣选”或“蒙择选”的使用可能是指教会，而不是个人名称。 |
| Woman: It wouldn’t be unusual for the church to be described as a woman, like a wife or the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25) |
女人：将教会描述为女人、妻子或基督的新娘的情况并不罕见（林前11：2;以弗所书5:25） |
| Elect Sister: The letter closes with greetings from “the children of your elect sister” which likely refers to the members of the church from which John is writing. |
蒙拣选的姊妹：这封信以“你那蒙拣选的姊妹的儿女”的问候结束，这可能是指约翰所在的教会成员。 |
| In these opening verses John reassures his readers of his love for them, grounded upon their shared truth. We also get the themes of his letter: truth and love. Truth is repeated four times, and love twice. There is almost a fatherly concern from John for his readers to not depart from the truth and led astray by false teaching. |
在这些开场句中，约翰向读信者保证他对他们的爱，这是基于他们共享的真理。 我们也了解了他这封信的主题：真理和爱。 真理重复四次，爱两次。 约翰以一种近乎父亲的关爱，要他的读者不背离真理，不被假教师误导。 |
| EXHORTATION: Love One Another (v 4–6) |
劝勉：彼此相爱（4-6节） |
| 2 John 4–6 “4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” |
约翰二书 4-6节 “4我见你的儿女，有照我们从父所受之命令遵行真理的，就甚欢喜。5太太啊，我现在劝你，我们大家要彼此相爱。这并不是我写一条新命令给你，乃是我们从起初所受的命令。 6我们若照着祂的命令行，这就是爱。 你们从起初所听见当行的，就是这命令." |
| First he rejoices that some of them are “walking in the truth” as was commanded by the Father. This is likely an allusion to 1 John 3:23, “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” So “walking in the truth” means at least two things: belief in Jesus and love for the church. And it’s commanded by God. |
首先，他很高兴他们中的一些人听从天父的命令“行在真理中”。 这可能暗指约翰一书3章23节，“神的命令就是叫我们信祂儿子耶稣基督的名，且照祂所赐给我们的命令彼此相爱。”所以“行在真理中” 至少意味着两件事：信耶稣和爱教会。 这是神的命令。 |
| What we see is here is that “walking in truth” is commanded by God. Being people who are truthful and committed to what the Bible teaches is not optional. It is not up to us if we feel like it, or if it seems to fit within our cultures norms. Walking in truth is commanded by God. It’s indispensable for the Christian life. And from 1 John 3:23, it’s likely he has in view believing in Jesus and love are tied together. Unfortunately the attack is that you can either be loving—which our culture defines as being accepting and tolerant of everything—or you can be bigoted because you believe there is universal truth. Instead, the Bible presents two category of people: those who believe in the name of Jesus and those who don’t. Those who know truth by knowing Jesus and keeping his commands, and those who don’t know truth and don’t know Jesus because they don’t keep his commands. |
我们在这里看到的是“行在真理中”是神的命令。 作为诚实笃信圣经所教导的人来说，这不是可有可无的， 它既不取决于我们的喜好也不取决于是否符合我们的文化规范。行在真理中是神的命令。 这对基督徒的生活来说是必不可少的。 从约翰一书3章23节看，约翰很可能把相信耶稣和相信爱交结在一起。 不幸的是，我们的主流文化把爱定义为接受和容忍一切，相信有普世真理的基督徒被视为狭隘偏执并遭到攻击。 相反，圣经指出了只有两类人：那些相信耶稣之名的人和不相信耶稣之名的人。 那些因着认识耶稣并遵守祂的命令而认识真理的人，以及那些不认识真理且不认识耶稣的人，因他们不遵守祂的命令。 |
| In verse 5 we get the main call to “love one another.” This is not a new command, but rather one that we have had from the beginning John says. Love is to be an identifying characteristic of the people of God. But we can’t define love according to the world’s definition. Love—in our culture today—means acceptance of any and all lifestyles, perspectives, beliefs and feelings regardless of revealed biblical truth. But that doesn’t mean John wants Christians to love less. No, rather exemplify love; love more the way the Bible defines love. |
在第5节，我们知道了“彼此相爱”的命令。约翰说这不是一个新的命令，而是从起初就有的。 爱是神的儿女的特征。 但我们无法用世界对爱的定义来定义爱, 爱在我们今天的主流文化中意味着接受任何和所有的生活方式、观点、信仰和感受，而无视圣经所揭示的真理。 但这并不意味着约翰希望基督徒少爱。 不，而是更多地以圣经所定义的爱去爱。 |
| What that means is that we are called to love one another within the church. Love for fellow believers is evidence of truly knowing God. If you show me someone who doesn’t love other fellow Christians at all, I don’t think we can affirm them a believer in Jesus. John doesn’t bring anything new or innovative, but rather the teaching from Jesus they received from the very beginning. |
这意味着在教会内我们要彼此相爱。 对信徒同伴的爱是真正认识神的证据。 如果你告诉我有些人根本不爱其他基督徒，那我认为我们不能肯定他们是耶稣的信徒。 在此约翰没有提出任何新的东西，只是传授了耶稣起初的教导。 |
| In John’s Gospel, chapter 13, Jesus had just humbled himself by washing his disciples’ feet to model the service and sacrifice needed to follow him. It’s in that context that Jesus issue his command to his disciples: |
在约翰的福音书第13章中，耶稣谦卑自己洗门徒的脚，让祂的跟随者效法必须有这样的服侍和奉献。 正是在这种背景下，耶稣向门徒发出命令： |
| John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” |
约翰福音13章34-35节 “我赐给你们一条新命令，乃是叫你们彼此相爱：我怎样爱你们，你们也要怎样相爱。 你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。” |
| Now why does Jesus say a “new commandment” when the summary of the OT is to love God and love your neighbor? In what sense is it new? The newness of the command is tied up in Jesus’ example of love: “just as I have loved you.” If Jesus—the Messiah, Lord of heaven and earth, the one by whom all things hold together—stooped low in sacrificial love and service, how much more should his disciples go low in sacrificial love and service for fellow believers for whom Christ died. |
既然旧约可以归纳为爱神、爱邻，耶稣为什么还要说“新命令”呢？ 它在何种意义上是新的？ 命令的新颖性和耶稣爱的榜样息息相连：“我怎样爱你们。”如果耶稣 - 天地之救主，造万物的神- 以爱和侍奉谦卑了自己，祂的门徒又该怎样谦卑自己，向基督为之而死的信徒们献上爱和服侍呢？ |
| Now John turns to clarify this call to love. He defines what is truly love. “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning.” Love is not warm feelings, not tolerance, not accepting people without question. Instead love is defined by obedience to God’s commands. Love is inextricably tied to obedience to God’s revealed truth and what he has commanded of his people. |
接着约翰转而澄清这种对爱的呼召。 他定义了何为真正的爱。 “我们若照着祂的命令行，这就是爱。 你们从起初所听见当行的，就是这命令。" 爱不只是温馨的感情，不是宽容，不是毫无疑问地接纳人。 相反，爱是通过顺从神的命令来定义的。 爱与顺从神所启示的真理及祂对子民的吩咐是密不可分的。 |
| There is an interconnectedness to loving God, loving fellow believers, and obeying God’s commandments. Today, there are many so-called Christians that want to jettison God’s commands in the name of love. That just doesn’t work. You’re not loving your neighbor by approving of behaviors or lifestyles or beliefs that you know will condemn them to hell. 1 John 5:2 says “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” Love for fellow believers is integrally tied loving God and obeying God’s commands. All of these realities are related—to love God is to love his bride, the church. To love fellow believers is to love God. To obey God is to love him and fellow believers. In essence, one can’t exist without the others. If you don’t love fellow believers, I don’t know how you can say you love God. If you don’t obey God commands, then you don’t love for him or other believers. These three are deeply interconnected because each one is evidence of the others being true in the life of a believer. |
爱神，爱信徒同伴，和遵守神的命令是相互联系的。今天，有许多所谓的基督徒想要以爱的名义抛弃神的命令。那是行不通的。认同你的邻居的行为或生活方式或信仰不是爱你的邻居，因你知道那些会将他们送进地狱。约翰一书5章2节说：“我们若爱神又遵守他的诫命，从此就知道我们爱神的儿女。”对信徒同伴的爱是与爱神并遵守神的命令浑然一体。所有这些现实都彼此关联 - 爱神就是爱他的新娘，教会。爱信徒同伴就是爱神。服从神就是要爱祂和祂的信徒。从本质上讲，没有一样可能单独存在。如果你不爱其他信徒，我不知道你怎么能说你爱神。如果你不遵守神的命令，那么你就不会爱祂或其他信徒。这三者是相互关联的，因为每个人都是其他人在信徒生活中的真实证人。 |
| So let summarize and apply this section. John wants us to love one another in the church—which is tied up with loving God, loving one another, walking in the truth, and obeying God’s commands. All of those are tied together. It’s a little bit like taking a road trip. To take a road trip you have to have the vehicle, fuel, map, destination, and a driver. To lack any one of those things you either end up in a ditch, lost, or never start the journey. Our love for each other in the church ought to be defined by truth, motivated by love for God, and as an expression of our obedience to God’s commands. |
在此我们来总结并应用这一部分。 约翰希望我们在教会中彼此相爱 - 这是与爱神连在一起，彼此相爱，行在真理中，并遵守神的命令。 所有这些都连在一起。 这有点像驾车旅行。 要驾车旅行，您必须有车辆、燃料、地图、目的地和司机。 缺少这些东西中的任何一个，你要么陷入困境，要么迷失方向，要么永远无法启程。 我们在教会中彼此之间的爱应该由真理来定义，以对神的爱为动机，并表达我们对神命令的顺服。 |
| So let me try to apply this to us with a few specific examples: |
在此，让我尝试通过一些具体的例子将它应用于我们： |
| Building Relationships across Differences: I think perhaps one of the greatest ways we can love one another is to be intentional to build relationships across differences: age, social status, ethnicity, and preferences. We won’t have as full an understanding the plight of the poor if we don’t have friendships and relationships with those on government assistance. We won’t have a more nuanced understanding of the immigration and refugee debate until we build these types of relationships. Or in the realm of racism and prejudice, it will be difficult to have compassion and empathy until we develop friendships, learn from others, and listen well. |
建立跨越差异的关系：我想也许我们彼此相爱的最好方式之一就是有意建立跨越差异的关系：年龄、社会地位、种族和偏好。 如果我们与接受政府援助的人没有友谊和关系，我们就不会完全了解穷人的困境。 在建立这些类型关系之前，我们不会对有关移民和难民的辩论有更细的理解。 或者在种族主义和偏见的领域，在我们发展友谊，向他人学习和倾听之前，很难有同理心和同情心。 |
| Go Deeper With One Another: Another way we can love each other is to refuse to relate to the church as a consumer, but instead treat it like a blood-bought family. A consumer chooses based on how their needs can be met. If I want bulk, I go to Costco. If I want cheap, I go to Aldi. If I want organic, I go to Whole Foods. But too often people treat church like they would their favorite grocery store. If I don’t like their selection, I’ll stop going or spending my money there. Instead, the church is a blood-bought family. And there’s a reason the Bible uses the imagery of a family. You’re stuck with each other. I may have some crazy uncles or cousins, but they’re still family. And in the church, we’re called to bear with one another, be long suffering, and to go deeper with each other so that we can love each other sacrificially as Jesus has called us to love one another. |
深化彼此的关系：彼此相爱的另一个方式是不再作教会的消费者，而是把教会当作宝血赎来的家庭。一个消费者总是基于自己的需要是否得到满足而作选择。如果我要大包装的商品，就去好市多。如果我要便宜的，就去奥乐齐。如果我要有机食品，就去全食超市。但太多人对待教会常常就像他们挑选超市一样。如果我不喜欢他们的选择，我就不再去那一家，不在那里花钱。然而，教会是一个宝血赎来的家庭。圣经用家庭这样的意象是有原因的。我们唇齿相依。哪怕我的叔叔伯伯或表兄弟有点古怪，他们仍然是我的家人。在教会里，我们被呼召彼此担待，恒久忍耐，并且加深彼此的关系，为要舍己奉献，彼此相爱，正如耶稣呼召我们要彼此相爱。 |
| One simple takeaway could be asking yourself the following every week: What is one way I can sacrificially love one person in God’s family this week? You may find yourself praying for someone, inviting them into your home, sharing your resources, giving them some of your most precious resource, your time, or dozens of other ways we can sacrificially love others in our family. |
有一个可以带回家操练的简单功课是，在接下来的每一周里问你自己：在这一周里，在神的家里，我怎么才能够以舍己的爱爱其中的一个人？你可能为某个人祷告，请他们来家里，分享你的资源，给他们一些你最珍惜的资源，比如你的时间。或许在我们的大家庭里你还有其它几十种不同的方式来舍己地爱他人。 |
| This love we are to show is Christ-like love. Love that is motivated by our love for God. Not because we have fuzzy feelings, or because it’s convenient, or because it’ll be reciprocated. Rather, our love is to be defined by truth, motivated by love for God, and has an outworking of our obedience to God’s commands. |
我们要展现的爱是基督式的爱，是由我们对神的爱所生发的爱。不是因为我们心存好感，不是因为贪图方便，也不是因为互惠互利。我们的爱要由真理来定义，由对神的爱所驱动，是顺服神命令的实际行动。 |
| The Apostle John has given us the exhortation to love one another—which is not just a squishy, feel-good thing—but an outworking of our love for God, our obedience to his commands, an expression of our commitment to truth, and following in the footsteps of Jesus’ example. |
使徒约翰劝勉我们彼此相爱，这不是那种粘粘糊糊、感觉良好的事，而是我们爱神的实际行动，我们对祂命令的顺从，我们委身真理的真实表达，是踏着耶稣的脚印前进。 |
| THE WARNING & PROHIBITION (v7–11) |
警告和禁止（7-11节） |
| The Warning (7–9) |
警告（7-9节） |
| First, we look at the warning. He begins with “for” in verse 7, giving the reason or basis for what he’s just said. So why is it important for us to love each other and to obey God’s commands? Answer: Because there are people who are out to deceive you! See verse 7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” John is addressing some false teachers and deceivers that deny Jesus’ incarnation. To get Jesus wrong is to get everything wrong. John calls them “antichrists,” those who are radically opposed to Jesus despite what they might say otherwise. This is strong language indeed. |
首先，我们来看警告。第7节以“因为”开头，作为他刚才所说的理由或根据。也就是说，彼此相爱和遵从神的命令为何对我们如此重要？答：因为有人出来迷惑你了！请看第7节：“因为世上有许多迷惑人的出来，他们不认耶稣基督是成了肉身来的；这就是那迷惑人、敌基督的。”约翰指的是一些假教师和骗子，他们否认耶稣是道成肉身。把耶稣搞错了就什么都错了。约翰称他们为“敌基督，”就是公然敌对耶稣的人，不管他们还说了什么。这真的是很强硬的措辞。 |
| “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 8–9). Beware he warns them. Don’t abandon what we’ve taught you. True biblical Christianity, true faith, must be tethered to the truth. The way to preserve the truth is to believe the truth, to love according to the truth, and to share the truth. Why watch yourself? So that you don’t lose the reward. What this points to is this: being an obedient Christian will require perseverance. There will be a reward at the end, but to way is narrow, and followers of Jesus are to watch over their life and practice to ensure it accords with Jesus’ teaching. If one does not abide or hold to the teaching of Jesus, they do not have God. |
“你们要小心，不要拆毁我们已经完成的工作，却要得着美满的赏赐。 凡越过基督的教训又不持守的，就没有 神；持守这教训的，就有父和子了。 ”（约翰二书8-9节）注意他如何警告他们。不要放弃我们曾经教导你们的。真正合乎圣经的基督教，真正的信仰，必须坚守真理。持守真理的方法就是相信真理，按着真理去爱，而且分享真理。为什么要小心？这样才不会失去你的赏赐。这指的是：作为一个顺服的基督徒需要持续蒙恩。末后将有赏赐，但路是窄的。耶稣的追随者必须持守他们的生命与实践，确保合乎耶稣的教导。如果一个人不持守耶稣的教导，他就没有神。 |
| During Easter, there was an interview done by a New York Times columnist (Nicholas Kristof) and Dr. Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary in New York. In that interview, she’s asked, “Do you think of Easter as a literal flesh-and-blood resurrection?” She replies, “When you look at the Gospels, the stories are all over the place. There’s no resurrection story in Mark, just an empty tomb. Those who claim to know whether or not it happened are kidding themselves.”[footnoteRef:1] Yet, the Apostle Paul says otherwise 1 Corinthians 15:12–28 where he argues that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is foundational and instrumental for faith at all, and if there is no resurrection, there is no faith, no hope, and no forgiveness of sins. She goes on to call the virgin birth bizarre, and denies that the God of the Bible is all-powerful, all-knowing, or even a being. This is a seminary president, and yet someone I think the Apostle John would call an antichrist and deceiver. |
在复活节期间，纽约时报专栏作家纪思道（直译尼古拉斯·克里斯托夫）采访了纽约协和神学院院长塞雷娜·琼斯。在那访谈中，她被问：“你真的相信复活是真正血肉之身的复活吗？”她回答：“当你看福音书，只看到故事四处传播。但在马可福音里，没有复活的故事，只有一个空坟墓。那些宣称知道真相的只是在骗自己。”使徒保罗却在哥林多前书15章12-28节中强调说耶稣从死里复活对于我们的信仰而言是基石和手段。如果没有复活，就没有信仰，没有盼望，也没有赦罪。她接着说童贞女生子也属天方夜谭，并且否认圣经中的上帝是全能、全知的，甚至质疑祂的存在。这是个神学院院长，而我想使徒约翰定会称她为敌基督和迷惑人的。 |
| Yet deceivers usually aren’t this clear and brazen as Serene Jones is in this interview. Instead, in our day and age we must beware those who seek to distort the teachings of Jesus or to pit them against each other. Here are a few subtle ways today the teachings of Jesus are undermined: |
而骗子通常不会这样明目张胆，厚颜无耻如访谈中的塞雷娜·琼斯。相反，在我们今天这个世代，我们必须警惕哪些人寻求扭曲耶稣的教导或让其显得自相矛盾。今天有一些微妙的方式正在暗中侵蚀耶稣的教导： |
| Believe in yourself vs deny yourself and follow Jesus: This is an excerpt from a “Christian” book for women: “The real you is destined for something more . . . your version of more. This is who you were made to be, and the first step to making that vision a reality is to stop apologizing for having the dream in the first place. Like Lady Gaga says, baby, you were born this way . . . it’s time to become who you were made to be.”[footnoteRef:2] |
相信你自己vs舍己跟随耶稣：以下摘录自一本给妇女的“基督教”书籍：“真正的你自己是注定要成为更好……更好的你自己。这是你被造的目的，而把这异象变成现实的第一步就是停止为你拥有这样的梦想而抱歉。正如嘎嘎小姐所说，宝贝，你生来如此……是时候成为你被造的目的了。” |
| Reinterpret the words of Jesus: Today Christians are embarrassed and ashamed of the teachings of the Bible and want reinterpret Jesus’ teachings. It’s subtle and incremental deception, much like Satan saying “did God really say don’t touch the fruit?” |
重新解释耶稣的话语：今天的基督徒以圣经的教导为羞为耻，想要重新解释耶稣的教导。这是隐微而渐进的迷惑，很像撒但说的：“神岂是真说不能摸那果子？” |
| I remember at my previous church where multiple families in the church partnered together to support a Pakistani family that had fled their home country because of threats on their lives because of their faith. They shared the gospel, and there were credible threats on their lives, and so they fled. This was so Christians in America could love them with sacrificial, costly, Christ-obeying love. |
我记得在我以前那个教会，我们有几个家庭搭档一起支持一个从巴基斯坦出逃的家庭，他们因为信仰，生命受到威胁。他们在当地传福音，生命却遭到实质性的威胁，所以他们出逃。在美国的基督徒也可以用舍己奉献、不惜代价、顺服基督的爱来爱他们。 |
| The warning is to not abandon the teaching about Jesus. Let our true knowledge of Jesus inform and shape how we love one another. These two are not at odds, instead they are intertwined. Love and truth, truth and love—they are both indispensable to any healthy Christian. |
警告是不要放弃关于耶稣的教导。让我们关于耶稣的真知识塑造我们彼此相爱的方式。真理和爱应该并行不悖。爱和真理，真理和爱——二者对于任何一个生命健康的基督徒都是不可或缺的。 |
| The Prohibition (10–11) |
禁止（10-11节） |
| 2 John 10–11 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” |
约翰二书10-11节“10 如果有人到你们那里，不传这教训，你们就不要接待他到家里，也不要问候他； 11 因为问候他的，就在他的恶事上有分了。” |
| Very simply, the prohibition is to not show any hospitality or help or assistance to false teachers. Don’t welcome them into the church, and don’t give them opportunity to teach, and don’t even help them along in their journey. It’s not saying don’t be hospitable or welcome unbelievers; that we should do. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” But when it comes to false teachers, be inhospitable. Why? Because to help is to share in their wicked works. We become accomplices and enablers of false teaching. |
很简单，所禁止的就是不要接待、帮助或协助假教师。不要让他们到教会来，不要给他们教导的机会，也不要资助他们的旅行。这不是说不要接待或欢迎不信者，这倒是我们该做的。希伯来书13:2说：“不要忘了用爱心接待人，有人就是这样作，在无意中就款待了天使。”但如果是假教师，那就不要接待。为什么？因为帮助他们就是在他们的恶事上有分了。我们成为了假教导的共犯与助缘。 |
| Where might we see this today? When I was involved in a church plant in San Diego, there was a poor single mom who was just so desperate for God’s blessing and to know his favor, and various unscrupulous preachers on TV preyed precisely on this insecurity so that she would send her money in. I think the far greater danger today is our social media feeds and our entertainment choices. Are we giving our time and attention to companies, ministries, and organizations that are advancing falsehoods that undermine our faith, and the commands of God? I’m not necessarily saying we should boycott everything, but I do think it’s worth considering how the profits are being used by the brands, companies, and organizations that we patronize. Would you reconsider buying a pair of tennis shoes from a company if you knew that the profit they make off of you will be used to fund anti-Christian beliefs? Let’s not be naïve to think this isn’t already happening. |
今天我们在哪里会看到这种假教导呢？我曾经在圣地亚哥参与一个植堂工作，有一个贫穷的单身母亲，迫不及待地需要神的祝福，认识祂的恩惠。而电视上很多没有良心的讲员正是以这类缺乏安全感的人为猎物，骗取她的钱财。我想今天更加危险的是我们的社交媒体稿源和娱乐节目。我们是不是在把时间和注意力奉献给那些致力于宣扬谬误，侵蚀我们的信仰与神的诫命的公司、机构和组织？我不是在说我们需要抵制一切，但我想我们值得认真考虑我们所赞助的品牌、公司和组织如何使用它们的赢利。如果你知道一家网球鞋公司，从你身上赚的钱用来资助反基督教信仰，那你还要买那一家的鞋子吗？我们不要天真地以为这事不会发生。 |
| The false teaching we’ll face today will be both subtle and forceful. It will try to slowly undermine the teaching of Jesus, the reliability of the Bible, and the truthfulness of the gospel. And it will be relentless is attacking our biblical sexual ethic, it will label Christians bigots, unloving, and uninformed, and it will seek to shame us into capitulating to its latest demands. Yet Jesus calls us to hold to faith, truth, love, and obedience without wavering. |
我们今天所面对的假教导可能既隐蔽微妙又强大有力。它会致力于慢慢地侵蚀耶稣的教导、质疑圣经的可靠性和福音的真实性。它会不遗余力地攻击我们基于圣经的性伦理观。它给基督徒贴上偏狭、没有爱心、无知的标签。它不断找机会羞辱我们好让我们屈服于它日益增大的胃口。而耶稣呼召我们持守信仰、真理、爱和顺服，决不动摇。 |
| concludes by stating his desire to see them face to face and sends greetings from those of his church. Yet John didn’t just wait to share this face to face, but wrote it for our benefit. |
最后，约翰表达他渴望面对面交谈，他教会的成员也送去问候。好在约翰没有干等着见面交谈，而是写了这封信让我们受益。 |
| Closing |
结束语 |
| Another pastor once said, “Truth without love is dogmatism. Love without truth is sentimentality. Speaking the truth in love is Christianity.” True, authentic, biblical Christianity requires both truth and love, intertwined, fused together, and interdependent. And the good news is that the perfect fusing together of truth and love is found in a person: Jesus Christ. |
有一位牧师有一次说，“有真理而没有爱是教条主义。有爱而没有真理是感情用事。用爱传达真理是基督教的真谛。”真实的、可信的、合乎圣经的基督教既要有真理也要有爱。真理和爱相互交织、交融，互相依存。而好消息是，真理和爱完美地融合在一个人身上：耶稣基督。 |
| Jesus perfectly, fully, and completely embodies truth and love, love and truth. Nothing deficient, nothing lacking. |
耶稣完美、完全、完满地体现了真理和爱，爱和真理，没有瑕疵，没有残缺。 |
| We receive truth from Jesus: John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the embodiment of God’s truth, perfectly, once for all, and entirely sufficient. |
我们从耶稣接受真理：约翰福音1:17“律法是藉着摩西颁布的，恩典和真理却是藉着耶稣基督而来的。”耶稣是上帝真理的化身，完美无瑕，一劳永逸，圆满具足。 |
| Jesus reveals truth: 1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” |
耶稣启示真理：约翰一书5:20“我们知道 神的儿子已经来了，并且赐给我们悟性，使我们能认识那位真实者。我们也在那位真实者里面，就是在他儿子耶稣基督里面。这一位就是真神，也是永远的生命。” |
| Jesus is truth itself: John 14:6 Jesus himself says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). |
耶稣就是真理本身：约翰福音14:6耶稣自己说：“我就是道路、真理、生命，如果不是藉着我，没有人能到父那里去。” |
| So if you don’t know Jesus this morning, I want you to know this truth: Jesus loves you, he died for you, he sacrificed himself to redeem sinners, he can change your life and open your eyes, he can handle all of your struggles, weakness, sin, and failures, and there is nothing you can do to disqualify yourself from his love if you will repent, believe, and confess that Jesus is Savior, and Lord. He wants to show you what it feels like to be fully known—exposed and bare—and fully loved. That is the truth and love that Jesus offers to you this morning. |
所以，如果你今天早上还不认识耶稣，我希望你能认识这个真理：耶稣爱你，祂为你死。祂牺牲自己救赎罪人。祂能改变你的生命，打开你的眼睛。祂能处理你所有的挣扎、软弱、罪孽和挫折。没有任何事情能让你取消自己被祂爱的资格，只要你愿意悔改、相信并承认耶稣是救主、是主。祂希望向你展示当你被全然认识——赤裸敞开——并且全然被爱的时候是什么感觉。这就是耶稣在今天早上要给你的真理和爱。 |
| And for us who know the truth, may we see the need to wed truth and love in our lives. As we grow in our understanding of the truth, that we would grow in our heart’s capacity to love. As we grow in our love for others, let’s grow in our understanding and embrace of God’s truth. May our roots go deep into the soil of God’s grace, so that when the winds of culture blow, we would be unshakeable Redwoods of faith that bring him glory and honor. |
而对于我们已经认识真理的人来说，愿我们能看到我们需要把真理和爱在生命中紧密结合。随着我们对真理认识的增加，我们也要增加爱的心量。当我们对别人的爱成长了，也让我们在认识和拥抱神的真理上成长。愿我们的根深深地扎在神恩典的土壤中，这样当俗世的风暴袭来，我们的信心就可以像红木巍然不动，归荣耀和称赞给神。 |
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| Sermon Discussion Questions |
讲道讨论问题 |
| Sermon Title: Walking in Truth & Love |
讲道标题：行在真理与爱中 |
| Sermon Text: 2 John |
讲道经文：约翰二书 |
| Main Point: True biblical Christianity requires both love and truth, intertwined, fused together, and informed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. |
要点：真正合乎圣经的基督教需要爱与真理紧紧交织交融，并要认识耶稣基督的福音。 |
| Outline: |
大纲： |
| 1. Exhortation: Love one another (4–6) |
1. 劝勉：彼此相爱（4-6节） |
| 2. Warning & Prohibition (7–11) |
2. 警告和禁止（7-11节） |
| Opening Question: |
开场问题： |
| 1. What are some ways that truth and love seem to be at odds with each other in our culture today? |
1. 在我们今天的主流文化中，真理和爱似乎在哪些方面相互矛盾？ |
| Discussion Questions: |
讨论问题： |
| 2. What brings the Apostle John joy and why? |
2. 是什么让使徒约翰喜悦？为什么？ |
| 3. What exhortation does John bring, and why is it a command “we have had from the beginning?” |
3. 约翰带来了什么劝告？为什么它是“我们从起初就有的命令？” |
| 4. What would be the presenting problem or need for John to issue this exhortation? |
4. 约翰提出这个劝告的问题或需要是什么？ |
| 5. What is the reason for giving this exhortation and why? |
5. 给出这个劝诫的原因是什么？为什么？ |
| 6. What does tell the church to do in verses 9–11 and why? |
6. 9-11节告诉教会要做什么？为什么？ |
| 7. Why does John stress remaining or abiding in the teaching of Jesus? |
7. 约翰为什么要强调继续坚持或遵守耶稣的教导？ |
| Application Questions: |
应用问题： |
| 8. What are some practical ways we ought to love one another? |
8. 我们应该彼此相爱的一些实际方法有哪些？ |
| 9. If you were to ask yourself “how can I love others in my church family,” how would you answer? |
9. 如果你问自己“我怎么能爱我教会家庭中的其他人”，你会怎么回答？ |
| 10. How can we ensure our love is informed by and tethered to the truth? |
10. 我们怎样才能确保我们的爱是合乎真理且坚守真理的？ |
| 11. What are some ways we can help prevent the spread of false teaching? |
11. 我们有什么方法可以帮助防止错误教导的传播？ |
| 12. What is some false teaching or philosophy that is at risk of creeping into the church? |
12. 什么是有可能悄悄潜入教会的错误教导或哲学？ |
| 13. How can we more fully delight in Jesus Christ, the perfect embodiment of truth and love? |
13. 我们怎样才能更充分地享受耶稣基督，那真理和爱的完美体现？ |
| Prayer Focus: |
祷告焦点： |
| Take a moment to praise God for revealing truth and love in the person of Jesus Christ. Confess any sins of failing to love others in the church, approaching church as a consumer, or conforming our thoughts or practices to false teaching. Thank God that we have forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ, and that we can walk in the truth and receive his abounding love. Ask God for help in loving others according to truth of the gospel and to beware false teaching that may deceive those within the church. |
花一点时间赞美神为祂在耶稣基督的身上启示真理和爱。 承认自己在教会中没有爱别人，作为消费者来到教会，或使我们的思想或实践顺从错误教导的任何罪过。 感谢神，我们在耶稣基督里得到了宽恕，并且我们可以走进真理并接受祂丰富的爱。 求神帮助自己照着福音的真理爱别人，并提防可能欺骗会众的错误教导。 |
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