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"Don't take rides from strangers!"
It's sad that we have to tell our children that but we live in an evil and fallen
world with some awful people. In some things the only safe-line is the hard-line.
I doubt if any of us could adequately explain to a 4-year-old that most folks
would probably be just fine and suggest if they are very careful they could pick
out the bad strangers.
John was writing to young Christians who were
vulnerable to misleading. He wanted to make sure they were kept spiritually
safe so he gave them
some firm instructions. They were to take a hard-line when it came to
false teachers. Satan
was not only trying to stop the church in its infancy with persecution
but also with internal
corruption. There were many people believing
error already and exporting it to others.
John's tactic was simple so his "little
children" would be protected -- "Do not receive him into your house, and
do not give him a greeting"
(verse
10b). In other words, don't let him have a chance
to teach his error. We must be on our guard today too.
Be on guard. Learn the TRUTH so well
that you will instantly recognize error. Take a hard-line against false
teaching. Do your part
by asking questions, checking doctrine and knowing the truth so well,
no one could fool you.
All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise
noted.
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Hard-Line
