1:11
The attitude today is that if we did not welcome these false teachers then that would be unChristlike and unloving. John’s teaching (and remember that he is sometimes known as the “apostle of love”) is completely different. If they were to welcome these false teachers then they would be sharing in their wicked work. Note two things here. First, the work of the false teachers is described as “wicked”, they were having a destructive effect on people’s lives. Secondly the direct approach of John, rather than beating about the bush. Today some Christian radio programmes (or podcasts), or magazines (websites) sometimes treat heretical teachers on an equal footing to Biblical teachers. This is all done in the name of balance and respect, but in reality it is a completely unbiblical approach.
1:12,13
John had a lot more he wanted to say to them, but he preferred to say this on a face to face basis. This would imply that he was not that far away from them, and that he had a personal relationship with the church. It also shows that he considered the matter raised in this letter as of great importance. We should treat it with the same seriousness today. John then talks about “our joy being complete”, a phrase also found in 1 John 1:4. “The children of your sister” is presumably a nearby or related church.
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