John Piper
3 John 1:3-4
“For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
Picture this scenario. You’re sitting at a table in a coffee shop and two people that you respect very highly- who are older than you and have played a very influential part in your life walk in and take a seat a table over. You then realize they don’t see you sitting there, but they start a deep conversation so you don’t think it polite to interrupt. All of sudden you hear your name brought up and they begin talking- about you. One of them pulls out a book- and to your horror as he/ she begins reading you realize they are reading every event in the past week of your life. 24 hours, 7 days, every event, every thought, every motive that has taken place in your life the past week. You can’t run over and grab the book- it’s too late now.
After reading through the past week you sit there in stunned silence, with many emotions. Slowly, they close the book and look at each other.
Would you expect to hear this:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that _________ is walking in truth?”
In 3 John and in 2 John as well Paul makes the claim about the believers that he has found great joy in hearing they are walking in truth.
2 John:1: 4,6
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.
And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning so that you should walk in it.
Now- if someone read the events of our lives for even the past 24 hours, they would find a lot of mess, amen? At least they would in my life. There’s no way someone could read the events of the past week in my life and be able to say “she has been perfectly walking in truth.” Of course not- that wouldn’t be true for any of us.
But if they could look at the past week overall- would they be able to make the claim for my life, “Yes, I have found great joy that Emily is walking in truth?”
It’s very sobering. In these passages, Paul addresses the lives of believers on a day to day, moment by moment basis. As it comes down to the practicalities of Christian living. Even Christ Himself found this issue important enough to pray in one of his last prayers in the garden,
John 17:17- Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.
Sanctify them in truth- may they be growing in holiness, in purity, in worship, in service, in humbleness, in love. May they be separating from evil and no longer participating in sin. May they be becoming more and more like you Father! Every day.
The Word is the standard to which everything else must be tested and compared. An analogy I heard this weekend was that of a screen door- using the Word as a screen door to test everything that comes into our lives. Filtering out what is evil and sinful and not helping us become more like Christ, and letting that in that is of truth and in according to the Word.
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
How I wish sin just affected me and not the lives of those around me. But it never works that way. When I chose to not walk and live in truth- I am affecting all of those around me. When I refuse to walk and live in the light of the Cross- I am ultimately showing others a lie.
It is a serious responsibility to walk in truth. How much more serious to refuse to walk in the light?
Are we becoming more and more like Jesus every day?
Oh, not perfectly as none of us are. But more and more and more- becoming more holy, more loving, more passionate about the Word and truth, more giving, more surrendering. Running to the Cross and turning our back on sin, fellowshipping with believers who will really hold us accountable and ask the hard questions, checking out motives and asking what Jesus thinks about every aspect of our life, becoming more forgiving, the list goes on and on.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
We show God our love for Him by whether or not we walk in truth. We can’t be half in darkness and half in light. It’s one or the other. Walking in truth is not burdensome. Yes, some days the Cross seems heavy. And yet as said by A.W. Tozer:
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In every Christian's heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross, he remains on the throne. Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among gospel believers today. We want to be saved, but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Mansoul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility.
As Christ Himself in the throneroom today goes before the Father and intercedes for us- Oh how I long for Him to be able to say "Yes, Father- our daughter Emily is walking in the truth."
May we walk in truth, bearing the Cross- allowing Christ to be Lord of the throne on every decision that we make. May we run and cling to truth as our life depends on it. May we hate every area of sin in our lives and run to and love righteousness. May we live a life so that other can truly say “I have no greater joy than to hear that _______ is walking in truth.”
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