John was not just rejoicing but, rejoicing greatly that he had found ( some of "your children ) walking in truth as we received commandment from the Father. It's clear he was rejoicing, what's not clear if he is making a distinction between all, or just some of her ladies children. He may be just using the word some in a more loose fashion, just indicting, that he was glad to hear that some were walking etc, etc. Or He may have been really separating out in his mind, based on what he had heard that only ( some ) of her children were walking in the truth. He had come to find this out, not sure how, but it caused him great joy, he was greatly rejoicing.
As an aside, we don't know for sure if the lady and children, are a ref to a church leader the the sheep in that church, or to an actual lady and her own children. ( by the way, in a family with multiple children, some may, and some may not be walking in the truth. I've seen this countless, hundreds and hundreds of times, on a personal level, and on a pastoral level over the last 38 1/2 of full time ministry.
What is clear, is that John was joyful because of what these children were doing. And, that is, they walking in truth, as received commandment from the Father. So, two things here.
1. Walking in truth
2. As we received commandment from the Father
What do these things mean? Truth is the Word of God, truth is Jesus Christ. We can walk in the truth, walk in Christ, Christ is in us, as we walk day by day. We are to continue walking in the truth. We know Him who is true. We are in Him who is true. Even in His Son Jesus Christ, this is the true God.
Now to walk in the truth, simply means, "to order one's life according to the Word of God" That's alll it means, and that's all it will ever mean, and it the most important thing that could ever mean anything to anyone. That your life would be in tune with God's Word, that is, You would receive His Word, You would be a doer of His Word, You continue in His Word, You would take God's wisdom and knowledge about life and apply it to your life, and seek to walk in the ways that God has layed out in His Word.
John add, "we received commandment from the Father. This is a phrase he like to use in his teaching. Always linking the present activity, exhortation to future activity to what God had given us in the past. A continuity of God's word from the time it was given and received, and then continued to be lived out by "doers" p.s It came from "the Father" Wow, God the Father, the Father of Jesus, the one who sent Jesus to rescue us.
From rejoicing to pleading John goes. He tells her, this is not as if I'm writing a new commandment to you, but, it's the one you have had from the beginning. Here it is, in plain and simple terms, unmistakable as to it's meaning. This is what the Father wants us to do.
"It is that we love one another"
John, then describes love for us. It's also simple, "that we walk according to His commandments. And, this is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
So, love is walking in the commandments. Abiding in the Word, being a doer of the Word, is the foundation for loving one another. And as we individually, walk in the word, we sill then have that fruit of love for one one another. No walk, no fruit.
To further explain love, he says, "this is love, that we walk according to His commandments" He is constantly linking our lives, walks, His love, His Word, our being in the Word, the Word being in us, and overarching reality of love. Love being the main thing that the Lord wants us to be doing in our lives, To walk in love, to love one another.
This is what we have heard from the beginning. We should walk in it.
He is going to deal with deceivers in the next few verses. These would be people who did not believe any of what is above, and were teaching a doctrine not from God at all. It has no source in God, and was of no help to anyone when it comes to the matter of love, forgiveness, truth, sins, being born again, redeemed, set apart to God, being a true light in the World. etc, etc, and only to wind up in heaven. None of those things came from any of the false teachers, that John is about to deal with, and warn about, and give practical instruction on what not to do with them.
4: I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.
5: And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.
6: This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
7:For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
