2 John 7-11 "The Antichrist"...It's A Lot Less Scary Than You Think

 

Observation: This is one of the only places where the word "antichrist" appears in the New Testament (no, it does not appear in the Book of Revelation). The author of this short letter defines "antichrist" as "anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh". This was a theological disagreement among early Christians. John's community believed Jesus was fully human, others didn't.  "Antichrist" was not a term for some cosmic end-times monster, but for people who were "anti" the John community's beliefs about "Christ". Not so scary, really. Yet they did draw a hard line that believers were not to support or have fellowship with people of this opposing view. 

Application: Second John strikes at the heart of a question I've been struggling with for years. How much disagreement in a community of faith is too much? At what point do peoples beliefs become so extreme and so contradictory as to become "anti-Christ"? And what do we do when we get there? Shunning in the way this letter describes--not welcoming with or eating with these folks--in itself seems extreme. If this were strictly followed, a lot of Thanksgiving Dinners would have to be canceled.

I'm not sure where the line is for me. I've had wonderful interfaith partnerships, as well as partnerships with Christians whose beliefs differ sharply from my own in various ways. Yet I do take very seriously my role as "pastor" and spiritual guide to the people of my congregation, and I am contacted often by organizations whose beliefs and agenda are so different from the ones I find in Christ, that can't promote them or give them a platform here. 

The basic takeaway I get from 2 John is: just because it has Jesus' name on it does not mean it's from the Lord. Unfortunately, there is too much evil and deception in the world for Christians to simply trust that anything with the "Jesus brand" is good. Yet if it is in fact "anti-Christ", it will be ultimately defeated by the truth, because we know the Way, the Truth and the Life, and he has won already. 

Prayer: God, guide us in the truth. Guide us to Christ, and away from ways of thinking and living which oppose him. In your name we pray, Amen.