2–John
Introduction to the book of 2–John
Like 1 John, the brief letter of 2 John combats false teaching in the church. Christians are characterized by their love for one another, and this love embraces truth and resists evil. Instead of offering hospitality to false teachers, John’s readers are not to share in their evil deeds in any fashion (2 John 10–11). Second John is the shortest book in the NT, only thirteen verses. In antiquity, the entire letter would have fit on one sheet of papyrus. The first letter of John elaborated the principles of continuing in the truth, loving fellow believers, and watching out for false teachers. This letter gives us an example of applying these principles to a concrete situation. The second epistle of John advises “the elect lady” (either a reference to a congregation or to a woman who owned a house where the congregation met) to be fervent in Christian love (v. 5) and watchful of deceivers (vv. 7–8). The writer planned to visit the congregation soon (v. 12).Theme & Overview
John writes to urge discernment in supporting traveling teachers, since false teachers were also traveling and teaching heresy. The letter of 2 John will keep you on target spiritually and challenge you to be certain about what you believe and how you live. The "NIV Quest Study Bible" says the apostle John wrote this personal note to Christians who may have felt pressured by false teachers. He wrote it perhaps to accompany his more general letter of 1 John. He hoped it would help renew commitment to the truth by further exposing the false teachers and he wanted to encourage them to remain faithful until he could see them in person. To confront the false teachers, 2 John emphasizes both love and truth. Love does not involve only positive feelings and acts of service; it requires true obedience to God—a real and authentic response (6). Living according to God’s commands means making difficult decisions. In this particular case, it means refusing to show hospitality to people who are circulating lies about Jesus. In discernment and love, followers of Christ must keep false teachers out of the Christian community in order to limit their influence and to protect those who might be led astray. Love requires us to call out lies for what they are. The false teachers John writes about did not remain in Jesus’ teaching (9) and denied His incarnation (7). Faith must be focused on the real personhood of Jesus. Even now, it is popular to claim to know God yet willfully ignore what the Bible says about Him. When confronted with such teachings, John says, we should respond in love but also with the truth. The focus of 2 John is living in the love of God in accordance with the truth of Jesus Christ. This love extends not only to God but to other people. It is also discerning; it does not “go on ahead” of biblical revelation (v. 9), and it does not lend aid to enemies of the gospel message (vv. 10–11). Instead, Christ’s followers “walk according to his commandments” (v. 6) and through faith “win a full reward” (v. 8).Author
The apostle John. The apostle John is the traditional author of this book, though the text does not specifically name him, except for calling him “the elder” (2 John 1:1). Ancient manuscripts uniformly identify this as a second letter by “John.” Due to the writing style, position in the Canon, and theological outlook, it is best viewed as written by the apostle John (see Introduction to 1 John: Author). The document itself identifies its author as “the elder” (v. 1). Theories that this was some “elder John” different from the apostle are interesting but lack compelling support. “Elder” was a common term for pastoral leaders of local congregations in the early church. In calling himself “the elder,” John is simply affirming his pastoral role, as Peter also does (“fellow elder,” 1 Pet. 5:1), not somehow disqualifying himself from being identified as Jesus’ disciple and ultimately an apostle. (See also Introduction to 3 John:)Recipients
Second John is one of five New Testament books written by the apostle John. The others are the Gospel of John, 1 John, 3 John, and Revelation. This letter is phrased as if addressed to a woman (2 John 1:1), though the content seems to be addressed to an entire church. The letter uses the terms “lady” and “children,” so this may be addressed to a literal woman and her family. More likely, based on the full context of the letter, John is writing to a church. This may be a church meeting in a particular woman’s home, a local church, or the church in general. The reference to the woman and her children is probably the church and those impacted by it, likely other local churches. Several themes are included in this short letter. John urges his readers to watch out for deceivers who taught that Jesus rose spiritually but not physically. Christians were to have nothing to do with such false teachers. John also focuses on the themes of truth, mentioned five times, and love, mentioned four times. The recipients of 2 John were a “chosen lady and … her children” (v 1). This might refer to a specific woman named Kyria and her biological children (the Greek word kuria, “lady,” can be a proper name). However, it is likely that John was speaking about a particular local church (“the chosen lady”) and its individual members (“her children”; cp. 1 Pet 5:13). If so, 2 John was sent to one of the churches in Asia Minor, for these were the churches under his authority. Since the author identifies himself at the beginning of this epistle as “the elder,” the recipients were likely a fellowship of Christians under his care.(I like the way that the “ ESV Study Bible” wrote about the recipients. The “ESV Study Bible” says:)
John writes to “the elect lady.” This more likely refers to a congregation than to an individual, because much of 2 John is written in the second-person plural. It is also questionable whether John would write to a female Christian that he and she should “love one another” (v. 5); the phrase makes better sense if addressed to a church. There are three additional reasons why “elect lady” may refer to a whole congregation. First, the word “church” in Greek is feminine in gender, and “lady” would go along with that. Second, the church is depicted as “bride” elsewhere in John’s writings (Rev. 21:2, 9; 22:17). Third, the Greek word kyria (“lady”) referred to a social subunit in the Greek city-state. John may use this word for a local congregation instead of the more common feminine word ekklēsia.Verse 13 of 2 John suggests that John writes to one congregation from another, which he terms “your elect sister.”Date
Like 1 John, 2 John probably was written in the vicinity of Ephesus near the end of the first century A.D. Ancient sources suggest John spent the closing decades of his life in this area, ministering to churches like those listed in Revelation 2–3.Unknown, though it was likely written around the same time as John’s Gospel and the letters 1 and 3 John, AD 80–95.
Background
The letters of both 2 and 3 John identify the author only as “the elder” (2 John 1; 3 John 1). Traditionally, this person has been understood to be the Apostle John. However, in the early church there was some dispute about whether the apostle wrote 2–3 John, with some church fathers saying that these letters might have been written by a church leader whom they called “John the elder.” Second John is addressed to a woman and her children (2 John 1). This could refer to a literal woman, but it could also be a metaphorical reference to the Church. This would make the “children” members of a local congregation or a house church within the larger Christian community. The geographical location of this Christian community is unclear from the text. However, the Apostle John spent his later years in Ephesus, so if he is the author, the letter might have been sent to one of the churches in the surrounding area of western Asia Minor. The letters of 2–3 John were likely written sometime between AD 85 and the early second century. The dating of the letters depends on their relationship to 1 John and when the events they address took place. The issue behind 2 John (as with 1 John) is that false teachers were trying to gain influence among the believers. It is not clear whether these are the same false teachers mentioned in 1 John, but it seems likely based on their denial of Jesus as God’s Son in the flesh (compare 2 John 7; 1 John 4:2–3). The false teachers were apparently trying to pass themselves off as itinerant preachers to additional congregations (2 John 10–11). Christians welcoming these preachers into their homes would have unwittingly helped them spread their false message. John tells his readers not to have fellowship or to speak with these false teachers. Christians should not support teaching that does not affirm the incarnation of Christ—such a refusal is a defense of the truth of God’s Son.The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Genuine Christian missionaries … may be recognized both by the message they bring and by the motive which inspires them. If they faithfully proclaim the doctrine of Christ, and if they have set out not for gain but for the sake of the name, then they should be both received and helped forward on their journey.— (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John, p. 202).
The message of 2 John is twofold. First, the members of the Christian community must love one another (v 5). The outworking of this love follows Jesus’ commands (v 6). Second, John warns the church about false teachers who needed to be exposed, avoided, and shunned. Many of the NT Epistles were written to deal with heresy. This is true of several of Paul’s letters: Galatians (Gal 1:6), Colossians (Col 2:16–23), 2 Thessalonians (2 Thes 2:1–3), and 1 Timothy (1 Tim 4:1; 6:20–21). Peter wrote his second letter to counter false teachers (2 Pet 2:1–22), and Jude wrote his letter (Jude 1:3–4) for the same reason. John’s letters, likewise, were written as antidotes to the poisonous effects of false teachings, such as Gnosticism and Docetism, that were infecting many of the early churches. Like Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem (Lk 19:41), and Paul, who wrote of “the daily pressure” of his “concern for all the churches” (2Co 11:28), John was concerned about this congregation. Would they neglect to embody God’s love for one another? Would they fall prey to false teachers? Second John was apparently written to help readers follow through on their commitment to follow Christ. John used six key words to tie together this epistle. He repeatedly used the words trust (five times), love (four times), commandment (four times), walk (three times), teaching (three times), and children (three times). John’s message is clear: He told his children to: (1) walk in the truth, (2) obey God’s commandments, (3) love one another, and (4) guard the teachings of Christ and they would not be deceived by the antichrist. John confirmed the spiritual safety of the believing community with a beginning and ending reference to their election by God (vv. 1; 13).Key Verses (ESV)
2 John 1:6: "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. 2 John 1:8–9: "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone 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."Key Passages (NLT)
Structure
The 13 verses of 2 John, which could have fit on one sheet of ancient paper (papyrus), follow the basic structure of a Graeco-Roman letter, with a greeting (1–3), a body (4–11), and a conclusion (12–13). The letter’s body begins with the command to love one another (4–6; compare John 13:34–35; 1 John 3:23). The rest of the body of the letter focuses on how to identify and respond to false teaching (2 John 7–11). The letter of 2 John concludes with John’s hope to visit the letter’s recipients (12).Outline 1
• Greeting (1–3) • The love commandment (4–6) • Warning against false teachers (7–11) • Conclusion (12–13)Outline 2
This short letter of 13 verses includes only one chapter and is the second shortest book in the New Testament. Other single-chapter books in the New Testament include Philemon, 2 John, and Jude. Second John begins with an introduction to “the elect lady and her children,” a focus on truth, and a brief greeting (2 John 1:1–3).Verse 4 offers praise and encouragement for those walking in the truth. This key verse stands as a theme in the letter. Truth is mentioned twice in verse 1, and again in verses 2 and 3.Verses 5 and 6 then focus on the commandment to “love one another.” Love is said to consist of walking according to God’s commandments.Verses 7–11 then focus on concerns related to false teachers. John mentions “many” who claim Jesus did not come in the flesh or physically. He calls them "the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 John 1:7). Believers were to guard against these lies (2 John 1:8) and have no part in the evil work of such people (2 John 1:10–11).Verses 12 and 13 conclude this short letter. John wants to visit in person, and concludes with a statement about the children of “your elect sister.” This is most likely a reference to the church where John was located when he wrote the letter.