2 John · chapter 1 of 1
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2 John is a short letter from the elder to the chosen lady and her children. He rejoices that some of them walk in the truth and reminds them of the old commandment to love one another. He warns that many deceivers have gone out who do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and he asks them not to welcome into the house or greet anyone who does not bring the teaching of Christ.
Second John is the shortest book of the New Testament by verse count, with only thirteen, and would fit on a single sheet of papyrus. It was written to a local church or a Christian family, and in a few lines it sums up the two great themes of 1 John: truth and love. Its warning about traveling teachers is still useful for churches today.
The elder writes to the chosen lady and her children, whom he loves in truth, and not only he but all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. He wishes them grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love (vv. 1-3).
He rejoices greatly to have found some of her children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded. Now he asks her that we love one another: this is not a new commandment but one they had from the beginning. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments, as they have heard from the beginning, so that they walk in it (vv. 4-6).
Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. He asks them to watch themselves so as not to lose what they have worked for, but to receive a full reward. Anyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him a greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works (vv. 7-11).
He has much to write but does not want to do it with paper and ink; he hopes to come and speak face to face so that their joy may be complete. The children of her chosen sister send greetings (vv. 12-13).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The elder rejoices to have found some of the lady's children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded. Truth is not only something we believe but a path we walk.
Love means walking according to God's commandments, as they have heard from the beginning. Christian love is not a vague feeling but obedience to what God commands.
Many deceivers have gone out who do not confess that Jesus Christ comes in the flesh. This teaching, which denies the true humanity of Christ, is the root of the danger John also fights in his first letter.
Whoever does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever abides in it has both the Father and the Son. The truth about Christ is not a secondary detail: knowing God depends on it.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: As the elder. — 2 John 1:1
Answer: Finding some of the lady's children walking in the truth. — 2 John 1:4
Answer: That we love one another, according to the commandment they had from the beginning. — 2 John 1:5
Answer: That Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. — 2 John 1:7
Answer: He has both the Father and the Son. — 2 John 1:9
Answer: Not to receive him into the house or greet him. — 2 John 1:10
2 John reminds us to hold truth and love together. A church that loves but does not guard the truth drifts, and one that defends the truth without love grows hard. In a class we can ask how to care for both in teaching, music and the materials we use.
The warning about not welcoming certain teachers refers to those who carried a false message about Christ and lived on the church's support. It is not permission to close the door to everyone who thinks differently, but a call not to back with hospitality or resources a teaching that denies the Lord.
2 John closes with the elder's wish to visit the church and speak face to face. It is a short but firm letter about truth and love, and 3 John, the next one, shows the other side: the hospitality that should be given to faithful workers.
Scholars hold two views. Some think she is a specific Christian woman and her family; others that it is a figurative way of referring to a local church and its members, with the sister church as the one sending greetings at the end. The text does not settle it, and the teaching of the letter is the same either way.
No. The verse speaks of someone who arrives teaching a false doctrine about Christ and of receiving him into the house as a teacher, which in the first century meant giving him support and a platform. It is not a rule for dealing with neighbors or relatives who think differently, whom the Bible calls us to love and treat with respect.