2 John 9 11 Fellowship Tim Haile 2

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship Tim Haile

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship 2 John 9 -11 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; “For he who greets him shares in his evil deeds”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • The Unity-In-Diversity Movement Has Many Tenets and Tactics: – “Doctrinal Differences Irrelevant” – “Gospel / Doctrine Distinction” – “False Teacher Is Only One Who Has False Intentions” – “Fellowship Based Upon Facts of the Gospel, Not Doctrine” – “We’re All Sinners Anyway – Can’t Exclude Others Who Sin”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • 2 John 9 -11 Is Fatal To The Unity-In. Diversity Error: – Doctrine Does Matter! – Going (Progressing) Beyond The Doctrine Of Christ Results In Loss Of Fellowship With God – Fellowship With God Hinges Upon Our Adherence To Doctrine – One Loses His Fellowship With God By Fellowshipping Those Who Don’t Bring Christ’s Doctrine

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Some Try To Avoid The Implications Of 2 John 9 -11 By Limiting It To The “Anti. Christ” Error Only: – 2 John 7 -8 Is Cited: – “For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. {8} Look to yourselves, that you lose not the things which we have wrought, but that you receive a full reward. ”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Argument Proves Too Much: Makes Acceptance Of Christ’s Incarnation The ONLY Requirement Of Fellowship! If True, No Need To: – Walk In Truth (2 Jn. 4) – Love One Another (2 Jn. 5) – Keep God’s Commandments (2 Jn. 6) – Repent, Confess, Be Baptized, Worship. . . etc

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Should Also Be Noted That 2 John 911 Is Not The Only Such Passage In the New Testament: – Romans 16: 17 -18 Says To “Mark and Avoid” Those Who Teach Contrary The Doctrine of Christ – Ephesians 5: 11 Says To “Have No Fellowship With The Unfruitful Works Of Darkness” – 1 Timothy 6: 3 -5 Says To “Withdraw” Oneself From Those Who Teach “Other” Than The Doctrine of Christ

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Should Also Be Noted That 2 John 911 Is Not The Only Such Passage In the New Testament: – Acts 5: 1 -11 Teaches That Saints Are Not To Fellowship Liars – 1 Corinthians 5: 11 Teaches That Saints Are Not To Fellowship Fornicators, the Covetous, Idolaters, Revilers, Drunkards and Extortioners – 1 Corinthians 6: 9 -10 Adds Adulterers, Effeminate, Homosexuals and Thieves

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • The Unity-In-Diversity Movement Has Many Tenets and Tactics: • One of the Most Subtle and Deceptive Tactics is the Practice of Simply Not Teaching All Truth on a Given Subject: – Withholding Truth Has The Same Damning Consequences As Teaching Error! Some Refuse To Condemn What God Condemns.

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Popular Examples: – On Several Occasions I Have Heard Joel Osteen Preach Whole Sermons And Not Teach Any Error – At Such Times, The Problem Is Not With What He Does Say, But With What He Does Not Say – He Invites People to “Receive Jesus” (Acts 2: 41; John 1: 12), BUT Does Not Say What Is Involved (Acts 2: 38)!

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Popular Examples: – I Have Also Heard Billy Graham Preach Whole Sermons And Not Teach Any Error, But He Doesn’t Teach All Truth – He Invites People to “Believe On Jesus” in Order to “Receive the Remission of Sins” (Acts 10: 43), BUT he Does Not Say What Else Is Required (Acts 10: 48)!

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Illustration: – If I Were To Preach The Truth of John 3: 16, Explaining Only That Verse, and Excluding All Others (which might define “belief”), My Sermon Would Be Praised and Accepted by ALL Denominations! • Some “Gospel” Preachers Are Doing Exactly The Same Thing As Billy Graham and Joel Osteen, Only With Different Subjects:

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • There Are “Joel Osteens” Among Us: They Preach “the Truth, ” But Not All Of It! – They Condemn “Immodesty, ” But Stay Far Away From Any Bible Passages or Principles That Connect Specific Parts of the Body With Sexuality (Isa. 47: 2, 3; Ezek. 23: 8, 21) – They Speak of The Purity of God’s Truth, But Lift No Sword Against Those Who Corrupt It (Gal. 1: 7 -9)

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • There Are “Joel Osteens” Among Us: They Preach “the Truth, ” But Not All Of It! (Acts 5: 20; 20: 26, 27) – They Emphasize the Need to “Speak as the Oracles of God, ” But They Refuse to: • Mark and Avoid Errorists (Rom. 16: 17) • Reprove the Works of Error (Eph. 5: 11) • Identify Errorists by Name (2 Tim. 2: 17 -18) • Or Even Call One a False Teacher!

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • What is Their Sin? • They “Bring Not The Doctrine of Christ” (2 Jn. 10) • “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God’s speed: For he that biddeth him God’s speed is partaker in his evil deeds” (2 John 9, 10)

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • John Warns Against The Refusal Of Some To “Bring” (Teach, Represent, Acknowledge) All Truth • See Verse 7: John Had Just Condemned Those (as “Deceivers” and “Anti. Christ”) Who “Confess Not That Jesus Was Come In The Flesh. ” These Errorists Believed In Jesus, But Not In His Incarnation! (they brought some truth, but not all of it)

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Today: Men Preach “Jesus, ” But “Another Jesus” From the One Represented by the Scriptures (see 2 Cor. 11: 4): They Preach “Jesus, ” But a “Jesus” Who: – – Was a Mere Man, But Not God Was Merciful and Loving, But Not Just Was Good, But Not Severe (Rom. 11: 22) Islam Recognizes Jesus as “a Prophet, ” But NOT GOD (some truth, not all!)

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship The Bible Warns As Much Against Not Bringing The Truth As It Does Against Bringing Error: Deuteronomy 4: 2 “You shall not add unto the word which I command you, “neither shall ye diminish ought from it, “that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. ”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship The Bible Warns As Much Against Not Bringing The Truth As It Does Against Bringing Error: Deuteronomy 12: 32 “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it… “thou shalt not add thereto… “nor diminish from it. ”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship Subtracting As Bad As Adding: Revelation 22: 18, 19 “For I testify again to every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book… “if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book… “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life…”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship The Evils of 2 John 10, 11: {10} If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; {11} for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. ” 1. 2. Failure or Refusal to Bring the Doctrine of Christ Receiving Those Who Bring Not the Doctrine of Christ Other Passages Condemn The Teaching of Error. John Here Condemns The Practice of Not Bringing All Truth

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship • Some Are Offended by Criticisms of Preachers Who Won’t Condemn Error and its Promoters - Why the Criticisms? See 2 Tim. 4: 2, 5 • “Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort with all patience and teaching… But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. ”

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • 2 Timothy 4: 2 -5 Defines The Work of the “Evangelist”: He Is To: • Preach the Word (by reproof, rebuke and exhortation) • Be Always Ready • Be Patient • Be Watchful • Be Enduring • Be Thorough “Watching, Reproving, and Rebuking” Are Part of the “Work of the Evangelist” One’s CLAIM to, or RECOGNITION of, Being an “Evangelist” Obligates Him to That Work!

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • 2 Timothy 4: 2 -5 Defines The Work of the “Evangelist”: He Is To: • Preach the Word (by reproof, rebuke and exhortation) • Be Always Ready • Be Patient • Be Watchful • Be Enduring • Be Thorough FAILURE TO REPROVE AND REBUKE CONSTITUTES A FAILURE TO BRING THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST!

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • What Error Did Edom Teach or Practice When He “Stood Aloof” and Came Not to the Aid of His Brother (Jacob)? • The Edomites’ INACTION Caused God to Classify Them As “One of Them” (the enemy, Obadiah 1: 11)

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • What Error Did the Gainsayers of Jeremiah’s Day Teach or Practice When They Said to the Sword, “Ah, Put yourself into the scabbard, rest and be still” (Jer. 47: 6, 7)? • God Said of such, “Cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed” (Jeremiah 48: 10 b)

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • What Error Had Peter Taught or Practiced When Paul Condemned Him (Gal. 2: 11 -14)? • Peter Ate With the Gentiles (no sin) • Peter Sinned When He Acted (hypocritically) In Deference To the “Circumcision Party” • Other Jews (incl. Barnabas) Were Affected

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • What Paul Said About The “Circumcision Party” (Tit. 1: 10 -11): • “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced…” • Peter Should Have Rebuked The Circumcision Party – Not Deferred To It!

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship What Error Does He TEACH or PRACTICE? • Some Lessons From Diotrephes (3 John 9 -11): • Refused to Receive the Apostles • Refused to Receive the Brothers who Agreed With the Apostles • Stopped Those Who Did Receive Those Who Received The Brothers • Do Some Today Refuse To Receive Those Who Bring The Apostles’ Doctrine?

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship Why Some Won’t Bring All Truth? 1. Some Truths Don’t Fit With Their Views (Gnostics – 2 John 7) a) The Gnostics Held That All Flesh Was Evil, Thus They Could Not Accept That Deity Inhabited Flesh! b) Some Today Ignore Truths Because They Interfere With Their Contrived Positions

2 John 9 -11 & Fellowship Why Some Won’t Bring All Truth? 2. Some Won’t Rebuke Their Friends: a) Dee Bowman, Paul Earnhart and the Ed Harrell / Christianity Magazine Fiasco 3. Some Practice Party Politics a) Peter (Galatians 2: 11 -14) b) Brethren and FC, GOT, etc