2 John is one of the shortest letters in the whole Bible, but it carries a message the church can never forget: truth and love always go together.
The author identifies himself simply as “the elder,” almost certainly the apostle John in his final years. He writes to a chosen lady and her children, people he truly loves in the faith.
This lady may be an actual Christian woman, known personally by the apostle. She may also be an affectionate way of referring to a local church and its members. Either way, John’s pastoral care shows through in every line.
Right at the start, John rejoices to learn that this lady’s children are walking in the truth. He then renews a commandment the church had known from the beginning: that all should love one another.
For John, this love is not mere feeling. To truly love means to obey God’s commandments, putting into daily practice what is professed in faith.
The letter then turns to a real danger. False teachers were going about denying that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, and John calls them deceivers and antichrists.
Because of this, he instructs the church not to welcome into their homes nor greet anyone who spreads this teaching. It is a firm safeguard to protect the fellowship in truth that unites Christians.
John closes the letter hoping to visit the chosen lady in person, preferring a face to face conversation over more words on paper. The children of her chosen sister send their greetings.
Read this short letter and discover how a brief message can reaffirm what is most essential in the Christian faith: living in truth and loving in truth.