2 John

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2 John

1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 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. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for but may win a full reward. 9 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. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister greet you. [1]



            Second John is probably one of the least talked about letters in the New Testament. It contains the fewest words in the Greek text version. (3 John is the shortest in the English versions.) Its main themes are truth and love. Themes that dominate all of the apostle John’s writings. Unlike 1st John this is in the form of a letter with a greeting and a closing section.

            The greeting is from someone who calls himself the “elder” such a title could well be applied to John who by the time of this writing (90 AD) would have such by title and age. It is written to the “elect lady and her children”. It is not known for certain whether this is an actual lady or if it is John’s way of referring to a church and its congregation. Either way it is a warm greeting encompassing John’s favorite greeting “whom I love in truth” setting the stage for the themes of the letter.

            In verse 3 John wishes them “grace, mercy and peace” it may sound like some kind of standard greeting, [2]but John really wishes and indeed prays for his readers.

            When we read epistolary greetings such as 2 John 3 we should not skip over them as though they are vacuous idioms, like asking “how are you?” when we do not really care to know the answer. The elder’s greeting is rich with meaning and significance. Through truth and love, God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ have bestowed to us grace, mercy, and peace. These gifts are assuredly ours now and into the future and continue to shape and define us as the people God wants us to be.2

            Verse 4 John rejoices that some of his people are walking in the truth. But what does walking in the truth entail? Walking conveys conduct under God’s oversight. It is not simply wandering around aimlessly; it is God-conscious living.3 Then John mentions as he always does the commandment to love one another. The reason this is so urgent is that there are deceivers walking among them who teach things that are simply not true and not from God. John warns that the church should not welcome or even greet people like this. These people teach that Jesus did not come in the flesh and that they have secret knowledge beyond what Christ taught us. We are not to even acknowledge such people. This is a harsh word but a persons very lives both here and in eternity are at stake. It is of the upmost importance to get this teaching right.

            John then closes his letter by saying that he has more to say to the elect lady but would rather not do it in a letter but face to face.


[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 2 Jn 1–13.
[2] Campbell Constantine R. 1,2, and 3 John (The story of God Bible Commentary) (p.191) Zondervan Academic, Kindle Edition.

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