What are some lessons from the Book of 2 John?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Second John was written to either a specific person or a congregation (2 John 1). He commended the recipients for holding to the truth (v. 4) and encouraged them to love (v. 5). However, that love was to be grounded in obedience to the truth (v. 6). He qualified the definition of love to preface his warning against showing hospitality to false teachers (v. 10), as that would give false teaching a door into the community (v. 11). Love, then, did not mean accepting everyone, but in vetting people to love the community by protecting them from false teachers.

John referred to the false teachers as deceivers and antichrists (v. 7a). They taught that Jesus did not come in the flesh, denying His humanity (v. 7b). The issue was so serious that the false teaching could unravel the Christian community (v. 8). Thus, John reminded them that having God meant having and teaching the right Jesus (v. 9).

Second John therefore calls believers to hold tightly to the true gospel while refusing to give influence or credibility to distorted teaching that leads people away from Jesus. Today, that often means vetting what we consume that calls itself Christian, such as on YouTube, to make sure we are not being adversely influenced.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The book of 2 John is not in the Old Testament.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Second John was written to “the elect lady and her children” (2 John 1a). The phrase “elect lady” is unusual. Some have understood this to refer to a specific person and her children, while others believe it refers to a specific church. Given that John refers to the “elect sister” in the letter’s close (v 13), it seems best to understand John’s unusual wording to refer to one church writing to another church. However, we can’t be certain about that.
• In either event, John is pleased with how they are holding to the truth (2 John 4). By walking in it, he means they are living out the truth. However, John adds, “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” (v 5). He was encouraging them not only to hold the truth but also to love. This does not necessarily mean they weren’t loving, but it might indicate that they were known more for their truth than for their love, and John wanted to encourage them to remain balanced.
• We learn that it is not enough for us to hold to the truth if we don’t have love (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1–3). However, John clarifies that by “love,” he does not mean being open to every idea or person that comes along. Rather, he defines love as walking “according to his commandments” (2 John 6).
• This distinction is important “For many deceivers have gone out into the world” (2 John 7a). While John was encouraging them to love, it was a love that guarded the truth. Those deceivers, whom he also called antichrists (v 7c), were apparently visiting the Christians, perhaps seeking hospitality. Unlike 3 John, where John encouraged Gaius to extend hospitality to true teachers (3 John 5–8), the visitors in 2 John were those who denied the truth about Jesus (7b).
• While we cannot be certain of their exact error, the fact that they “do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh” (2 John 7b) suggests they were likely denying something about Jesus’ humanity. Regardless of the specific error in that context, any teaching that changes who Jesus denies the truth. John referred to them as going “on ahead” by not abiding “in the teaching of Christ” (v 9a). Going “on ahead” likely means going further than Scripture teaches in how they understood Jesus. John was saying that by changing who Jesus was, they did not have God because only those who abide “in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (v 9c).
• That is why he said that if those false teachers come to their door, they are not to extend love toward them by opening their house or even by greeting them in a way that tacitly endorses their teaching (2 John 10). If they did, they would be indicating that there was nothing wrong with the false teachers, opening the door for them to gain a foothold in the community. That is why John gave the strong warning that they would be partakers in their wicked works (v 11).
• Note that the main themes in 2 John are found in the longer 1 John, so it can be helpful to read that letter alongside this one for a fuller understanding. Specific topics covered in both include obeying the commandments (1 John 2:3–6; 5:2–3; 2 John 4, 6), loving others (1 John 3:11, 18; 4:7–11; 2 John 5), false teachers using antichrist language (1 John 2:18–23; 4:1–3; 2 John 7), and the denial of Christ in the flesh (1 John 4:2–3; 2 John 7).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

There is a danger in Christianity today with being too willing to accept someone’s teaching just because he or she claims to be a Christian. Indeed, Christian bookstores are filled with books that teach mysticism, ecumenism, sensual practices, wealth-and-prosperity theology, and even race or gender-based theology. These are examples of worldly ideas let into the church by those who did not heed John’s advice to turn away false teachers. Unfortunately, many of the more successful Christian books, YouTube preachers, and mega church pastors today misinterpret Scripture to some degree, sometimes teaching a different God or Jesus.

Paul warned of this danger, telling Timothy that people would have ears itching for teaching that pleased their desires (2 Timothy 4:3). Unbelievers, by definition, are those with desires that displease God. When an unbeliever gains an audience under the guise of Christianity, becoming a false teacher, his or her unbelieving heart is magnified by being listened to by a large following. This is precisely why James warned that not many should be teachers because a tongue is like a small rudder that can turn massive ships (James 3:1–5).

How can we protect ourselves from this pervasive danger? We do this by looking for faithful pastors who protect their congregations. They should be men who are committed to preaching Scripture faithfully and who are quick to spot and root out errors creeping in. Along with this, we, too, are personally must vet what we personally read, hear, and watch against Scripture so we aren’t giving false teachers a foothold in our lives and spreading it to the lives of those around us.

UNDERSTAND

• Second John teaches that Christian love is inseparable from obedience to God’s truth.
• Second John teaches that believers must carefully guard the true teaching about Jesus Christ.
• Second John teaches that Christians are responsible to protect the church by refusing to endorse or support false teachers.

REFLECT

• How do you distinguish between showing genuine love and allowing harmful ideas or influences into your life?
• How is your love for God evidenced by your obedience to Him?
• Where do you see pressure in your life to tolerate or affirm teaching that does not align with Scripture?

ENGAGE

• How does 2 John’s warning about hospitality to false teachers apply in modern contexts such as churches, media, or online platforms?
• What criteria should be used to evaluate whether a teacher is faithfully presenting the truth about Jesus?
• How should Christians balance the call to love others with the responsibility to guard against false teaching?