The importance of the local church
2 John 1:10 NASB
“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him
into {your} house, and do not give him a greeting;
What we have here is a
clear statement to the local church that the local church is not to accept,
take in, or allow anyone with false doctrine to come into their presence. They
need to avoid them. This is not anyone, such as someone walking in off the
street as a visitor, but someone who claims to have something to teach or to
promote. In the ancient world it was not uncommon for a travelling philosopher
or religious teacher to come to an area. He would start speaking to a group and
would expect to rely on the local believers to financially support him. So this
is the idea of someone who claims to have a message from God, claims to be able
to teach and wants to communicate something related to the Word and comes into
the congregation. In other words, somebody who has a doctrinal agenda and yet
as part of their doctrinal baggage they do not have a correct Christology.
Therefore the Bible clearly teaches that the local congregation is a closed
system. It can allow for visitors but there are certainly rules and regulations
for the conduct of the local congregation and this is why it is important for
local churches to have clear doctrinal statements. John clearly makes the point
that there is a biblical foundation to exclude people from a local
congregation, and they are not only not to receive this kind of person but they
are not even to say anything like “have a nice day” or “hello,” and whenever
they do it is a participation. That is a strong statement. The idea there for participation
or sharing is the verb form of the noun koinonia
[koinwnia], koinoneo
[koinwnew] meaning partnership, sharing, participation in,
sharing responsibility in. That means that if we ever go so far as to say “have
a nice day” then to the degree that this person is influencing people you are
going to share in whatever negative consequences resulting in that. This is a
clear statement from John that we don’t want to have anything to do with
someone who has false doctrine because if we do we enter into and share in his
false doctrine if we give any hint of approval for this man. This is the idea
of the doctrine of separation—it is a doctrinal issue.
The
doctrine of separation
1. There are two kinds of separation: mental separation
and physical separation.
2. Mental separation is the mental attitude that the growing
believer adopts as he realises there is a distinction between human viewpoint and
divine viewpoint. It is coming to a realisation in spiritual growth that it is necessary
to erect a wall in the thinking (an attitude) that rejects human viewpoint thinking.
It is a mental separation that allows the believer to put up this wall so that
he protects himself from the influence of cosmic thinking.
3. Therefore this wall of protection is built through the
use of spiritual skills—the faith-rest drill, grace orientation, and doctrinal
orientation. Mental separation must come first. It means understanding
doctrine, truth, and that must be the basis for decisions.
4. Physical separation occurs when believers limit
contact with others because of false doctrine. It is important to do that
because in 1 Corinthians
5. Physical separation without prior mental separation
will cause the believer to walk into cosmic thinking through the back door. A
lot of people get involved some sort of reaction to somebody and the next thing
they know, because it is not based on doctrine and they are not doing it under
the filling of the Holy Spirit, it is not a part of impersonal love, and what
happens is that they get into arrogance, mental attitude sins such as reaction,
anger, hostility, hatred, vengeance motivation, bitterness, and the next thing
we know is they are out of fellowship and in the cosmic system. Mental
separation establishes the spiritual categories and spiritual absolutes.
6. Removing someone from church is an act of love, just
as correct, objective application of capital punishment is an act of love,
because the focus is on the victim, on the congregation.
7. Such an act must avoid any kind of revenge motivation,
jealously, vindictiveness, bitterness, implacability, or any mental attitude
sins.
So John gives a warning
from vv. 7-11 on the importance of having a correct Christology and its
application in terms of not even accepting any kind of teacher, any person with
any voice whatsoever, into the local congregation if they do not have a correct
understanding of the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then in vv.
12-13 he gives his closing for the epistle.
2 John 1:12 NASB
“Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to {do so} with paper
and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may
be made full.” He puts the subordinate clause up front because he is
emphasising the fact that he has many other doctrines to teach them. It begins
with a present active participle that does not have the article, therefore it
is considered an adverbial participle, and it should be translated as a concessive:
“Although I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper
and ink.” This emphasises the fact that John is the pastor to this
congregation. We know that he pastored in
The importance of the local church
1. God created man for community. Genesis
2. Just as God called out a corporate body for Himself in
the Old Testament and there was the corporate worship in the Old Testament around
the ritual of the tabernacle and the temple, God also called out a corporate
body for Himself in the New Testament and there is to be corporate worship in
the local church. That is part of the function of the priesthood and
ambassadorship of each believer. If we isolate the believer from the local
church we are isolating them from part of their priesthood and their ambassadorship.
3. The church, then, is not simply an organism of
individual believers that are united to Christ but is a corporate unity. We are
one in Christ and members of one another, the Scripture says. God authorised
and instituted the local church as the meeting place of believers.
4. The purpose of the local church is to equip believers to
function in their priesthood and their ambassadorship. It is also to teach them
how to grow and mature as believers, and to utilise their spiritual gifts for
the benefit of the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts were not given for purely
self-edification; in fact Paul condemns the Corinthians because that is their
idea. Spiritual gifts are given so that believers can benefit others in the
body of Christ.
5. It is the believers in a local church through whom God
supplies the logistical support for missionaries and evangelists.
6. The problem we have from our own culture is that the
7. What are those key elements that are missing? There is
no opportunity for the Lord’s table. The Lord’s table for an isolated family is legitimate but it is
not considered the normative pattern by the New Testament; it is a group of
believers that meet together. Second, there is no opportunity for children’s
education in a local church. Then, there is no opportunity for the function of
spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts by definition are to function in and for the
body of Christ. Fourth, if a believer is isolated it limits the function of his
priesthood in relationship to other believers. Fifth, isolation limits the
application of all those “one another” passages of Scripture where we are to
pray for one another, encourage one another, admonish one another, teach one
another, which indicates this mutual function of the priesthood in relationship
to other believers. By being in isolation the believer short changes himself
and short changes his own opportunities to fulfil the divine mandates in
relationship to the body of Christ.
8. While a believer can get the information necessary to
grow spiritually through non-face to face teaching this is not viewed as the
best or the normative situation in the New Testament. Face to face teaching is
a superior way of communication.
9. In the early church they did not always have trained
pastors and so training occurred through non-face to face teaching. But we
always watch out that we don’t fall into the trap of thinking that we can just
go it alone.
2 John