Have you ever thought about trees? From giant sequoias to that “weed bush” that keeps coming up in your yard, plants can be incredibly hearty. But if you think about it, they establish themselves in a single place and they are wholly reliant on getting all their needs met by remaining in one location. They don’t move because the sun is brighter down the block or because the soil seems more lush over near that super cute butterfly maple. They stay put, but they grow. Under the soil, roots journey out and down on a slow trek to find their way to stability and sustenance that ensures growth. Above ground, they grow up and outward to harness the rays of the sun and to blossom for a future generation. On the other hand, people are highly mobile. We commute. We travel. We go out to dinner. Sometimes I think our culture teaches us that “remaining” anywhere is a bad thing—go ahead, take that new and better job, to get a new and bigger house in a new and better neighborhood. Our wanderlust tells us “the grass is always greener...” John is singing a different tune. He knew about trees like we do. In this section, John explicitly references the “separatists” and how they “went out” from among them. He knows that his hearers have been surrounded by multiple voices and some of those voices were pointing to a “greener pasture” of knowledge that John knows is not true. Throughout the whole letter, but heavily in this section, he is reinforcing that they have everything they need in God and his righteous Son. He wants them to “abide” permanently in the soil of the gospel.