2 John

2 JOHN
2 John
N O T E S & O U T L I N E S W I T H
E P I S T L E S
1 JOHN 2 JOHN
2 John
WRITER: John the Apostle
DATE: a.d. 90—100
PERSONAL LETTER: This epistle is like Philemon in that it is a per-
sonal letter written by John to “the elect lady.” Is the Greek word
electa a title, or does it refer to a Christian lady in the early church
by the name of Electa? It would seem that it was addressed to
some lady in the church or to a local church that was extending
hospitality to all those who claimed to be Christian, though some
were heretics. John warns against entertaining such.
THEME: For truth’s sake. Truth is worth contending for, and it is
wrong to receive false teachers.
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OUTLINE:
I. Love expressed in the boundary of truth, vv. 1—6
“Love in truth”
II. III. Life is an expression of the doctrine of Christ, vv. 7 —11
(False doctrine leads to evil deeds.)
Personal greeting, vv. 12, 13
(False teachers are not to be received by the Christian, but true teachers are to be
received with joy.)
COMMENT:
I. Love expressed in the boundary of truth, vv. 1—6
V. 1—“The elder” (presbuteros) is presbyter. It has a twofold meaning:
(1) seniority (referring to age), a senior citizen; (2) title (referring to
office), minister or teacher. This is an obvious reference to John
the apostle. Perhaps John’s life was in jeopardy due to rising per-
secution so that he withheld his name. John was in his 90s.
“Elect lady” (electa kyria), to whom this letter is addressed, could
refer to a prominent lady in the church. However, I have come to
the opinion that a local church was in view. One cannot be insis-
tent upon either view.
“Truth” (“the” should be omitted) is the theme of this epistle. It
means truly or sincerely. In these second and third epistles we see
the teaching of 1 John in action.
“The truth” is the body of doctrine of the apostles.
V. 2—“The truth’s sake” is defense of the truth.
“Dwelleth” is abides. “To know Him, to be in Him, to abide in
Him means knowledge, fellowship, and constancy” (Bengel).
The Truth in v. 7 is Jesus Christ.
The truth in v. 9 is doctrine.
V. 3—“Grace … mercy, and peace”—mercy has been added.
“In truth and love”—is the polarity of the Christian life. We oscil-
late back and forth between these two. It is difficult to maintain a
balance. Extremes are fighting fundamentalists on one hand and
the slobbering liberals on the other (see Ephesians 4:15).
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V. 4—Evidently this is an answer to a letter he had received.
“Walking in truth” refers to the manner of life, meaning walking
in obedience to commandments from the Father.
V. 5—See notes on 1 John 2:7.
V. 6—John’s teaching in his first epistle walked in shoe leather in the
first century of the Roman Empire.
II. Life is an expression of the doctrine of Christ, vv. 7 —11
V. 7—Gnosticism denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh; it
denied the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Cerinthian Gnos-
ticism taught that Jesus was a man on whom the Spirit came at
His baptism and left at His crucifixion. Docetic Gnosticism denied
the reality of the manhood of Jesus. It taught that He was just a
phantom, a figment of the imagination.
“An antichrist” should be the antichrist.
V. 8—He warns against the danger of missing a reward, not against
losing their salvation.
V. 9—Here he has in mind those who are not real believers. To reject
the doctrine of Christ means that they were not believers. Doctrine
is also a proof of life.
V. 10—A better translation would be: If anyone cometh unto you and
brings not His teaching (doctrine), receive him not into your house
and give him no greeting. There were no lovely motels in that day,
so itinerant teachers were entertained in homes. Believers were
not to support these teachers in any way.
V. 11—One who supports a false teacher is a partner in his error.
Should not you and I be more careful today?
III. Personal greeting, vv. 12, 13
V. 12—John anticipated visiting this person or church to whom he
had written.
V. 13—The greetings are from another person or church.
These simple verses are eloquent testimony from the early church.
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