In verse 10 John sets out one practical application of how to defend the truth: If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house. Hospitality for traveling teachers was common in the culture (cf. Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-12). The prohibition here is not to turn away the ignorant; it does not mean that believers may not invite unbelieverseven those who belong to a cult or false religioninto their midst. That would make giving the truth to them difficult, if not impossible. The point is that believers are not to welcome and provide care for traveling false teachers, who seek to stay in their homes, thereby giving the appearance of affirming what they teach and lending them credibility
Johns use of the conjunction ei (if) with an indicative verb indicates a condition that is likely true. Apparently, the lady to whom he wrote had for whatever reason, in the name of Christian fellowship, already welcomed false teachers into her home. It was just such compassionate, well-meaning people that the false teachers sought out (cf. 2 Tim. 3:6); since churches were supposed to be protected by elders who were skilled teachers of the Word (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9), they should have been less susceptible to the lies propagated by the deceivers. Having established themselves in homes, the false teachers hoped eventually to worm their way into the churches. It is much the same today, as false teaching insidiously invades Christian homes through television, radio, the Internet, and literature.
So threatening are these emissaries of Satan that Jo[h]n went on to forbid even giving them a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. Irenaeus relates that the church father Polycarp, when asked by the notorious heretic Marcion, Do you know me? replied, I do know youthe firstborn of Satan (Against Heresies, 3.3.4). John himself once encountered Cerinthus (another notorious heretic) in a public bathhouse in Ephesus. Instead of greeting him, however, John turned and fled, exclaiming to those with him, Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.3.4).
What is your religion? That would be a cult. Any religion that denies christ is a cult.
I'm Roman Catholic. We usually capitalize the "c" in Christ, to indicate that we recognize that He is the Lord our God & Savior. If I'm not mistaken, that is common practice in protestant denominations also.
They just don't follow the Bible literally. Which is a problem.
Following the Bible literally is itself problematic and misleading if passages are interpreted out of context.
Song of Soloman 4:1~2 (KJV):
1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. 2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
Hair like a flock of goats? Teeth like a flock of sheep? No, no, no, no, no.... we do not take every word of the Bible literally. It must be read in it's proper context to be understood. The nomadic tribes of the Middle East were very simple people 3 to 5 thousand years ago. The Lord revealed His Word to them in ways that THEY could understand, so we need to strive to understand the way that THEY would understand it, not the way that WE would take it literally.
I'm talking about people who don't take Genesis literally for example. Like probably you.
Yeah, well I'm not very evangelical about it, so I'm not gonna try to convert you to my beliefs, just as I doubt that you'll make much headway trying to convert me... So that's why I seldom discuss this topic and try to stick to more secular issues: energy, transportation, education, economy, etc. etc.