“Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. The children of your chosen sister greet you.”

---End of Scripture verses---

And so concludes this very brief letter to what seems most likely to be a local congregation of Christians in Asia Minor. One manuscript from the eleventh century, codex 465, identifies the sister as the church at Ephesus, but this cannot be verified. The third letter will conclude in much the same way with much of the exact same verbiage.

So let’s review...

Verses 1-3 – The elder John writes a short, rushed letter to a local assembly of Christians in Asia Minor. He commends them to the truth in love and pronounces the typical blessing in New Testament letters of grace, mercy, and peace. We mentioned that the heavy saturation of truth and love together was to combat false teachings, namely Gnosticism, that falsely believed many of the deceptions believed today. Several examples would include: that our actions aren’t what really matters as long as we intellectually assent to the right things, that truth is only available to certain elect people, and that Jesus was never required to fully inhabit fleshly form in order to reveal truth and demonstrate love.

Verses 4-6 – The relationship between truth, love, and action is taken a step further in these verses. John commends some of the brethren at this group for clearly demonstrating their love by means of obedience to the truth. He, like Jesus, calls this type of love a “new” commandment. It was of course not new in the sense of novelty, but in the standard of love.

Verses 7-8 – These few verses defeated the faulty notion of Jesus never truly inhabiting flesh, a false doctrine clung to desperately by the Gnostic teachers. The denial of Jesus having come into the flesh is likened unto being an antichrist, someone utterly and totally opposed to Christ. The strong language of condemnation parallels the gravity of the influence of such a false perversion on God’s people. The brethren were warned to be vigilant over themselves that they not miss out on the reward awaiting the faithful.

Verses 9-11 – The brethren are specifically warned to watch out for traveling false preachers hocking their wares and secretly invading homes through the generous hospitality of God’s people. They are exhorted neither to open their homes to anyone teaching falsehood nor even to greet such a one.

Verses 12-13 – John desired to see these brethren and was full of hopes to. Thus, he concludes his letter with the confident expectation that more communication could be done in person, “face-to-face”, or more literally “mouth to mouth” (compare John 16:12). John may have wanted to ensure that anything else he would say would be more perfectly understood in person or perhaps there was fear of anything longer being intercepted or it may have simply been practicality in the sense that he only had one piece of papyrus to send. He ends verse 12 with the same phrasing that he recorded Jesus using on the night He was betrayed (John 15:11; compare 1 John 1:4). He concludes with verse 13, a statement of salutation from another assembly of Christians, no doubt the assembly John is with or was immediately with prior to writing the letter.

Tomorrow we will continue our daily Bible readings with an introduction to 3rd John.

-Eric Parker

“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”

---End of Scripture verses---

This brief epistle is concluding quickly with what in many ways seems a synopsis of 1 John 2:23-24. There has been essentially one singular theme in each of our readings in 2 John – you are either in or out, for Christ or anti Christ. There have been a few tests illustrated so far, most notably the test of obedience to the truth in love and consent to the belief that Jesus came in the flesh.

At this point, John becomes immensely practical. He has one more test to share: respect for God’s Word. In other places, the same condemnation is found for disrespecting God’s Word – “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19) Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they needed to learn to “not exceed what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). This was in no way a New Testament only command, for God had always commanded highest reverence for His Word (e.g. Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6). His words and commands are life; to disrespect His Word was to prove one’s self a hater of God.

The sad reality is that one who does not abide in Christ and in His Word does not have God. Any claims to the contrary would be in violation of the tests given in this brief letter. Obedience to God has always been the true test of faith, for faith must be perfected by works (James 2:14-26). And all of this forms a tragic irony: the Gnostic claims were that they, through special knowledge, had gone farther than anyone else in understanding. The reality was that they had gone far beyond God’s Word and thereby brought judgment upon themselves. This is in no ways a condemnation of progress for there certainly is room for growth insofar as it is development in God’s Word (1 Peter 1:5-10; 2 Peter 3:18).

Paul W. Hoon comments thus on this passage: “When is a progressive not a progressive? When he parades his progressivism for its own sake, and falsely supposes that the new is always the best or that mere movement is progress. In theology and in Christian ethics, as in the everyday world of politics, art, and social reform, the new must be tested by the old. Jesus significantly describes the man who qualifies for the kingdom for heaven as one who brings forth from his treasure both what is new and what is old (Matt. 13:52). The false progressive also fails to test whatever truth he believes in or whatever ideal he seeks by the doctrine of Christ, i.e., the mind of Christ revealed in apostolic Christianity.” (Interpreter’s Bible: XII:307)

Another connection to be made is with the parallel statement to 2 John 2:9-11 that is found in the early second century document known as the Didache: “Now, you should welcome anyone who comes your way and teaches you all we have been saying. But if the teacher proves himself a renegade and by teaching otherwise contradicts all this, pay no attention to him. Now about the apostles and prophets: Act in line with the Gospel precept. Welcome every apostle on arriving, as if he were the Lord. But he must not stay beyond one day. In case of necessity, however, the next day too. If he stays three days, he is a false prophet, and if he asks for money, he is a false prophet.” (11:1-6)

Having established this last test, John’s turns to action. So what should we do if someone comes to us espousing Christ but in violation of these scriptural tests? Should Christians be privately or collectively hospitable to such? John provides a consummate answer: “do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting.” This flies in the face of modern culture has done in warping the concept of Christianity. Relativism and ecumenicalism falsely teaches that all espousing Christ are brothers and sisters no matter how different their beliefs, even if contradictory and mutually exclusive. If only such would read this letter as it has been written! Does not this letter teach otherwise? Does not this letter teach that it does matter? That obedience to God’s Word is the test and those in violation are not abiding in Christ? There needs to be a recognizable rejection of those opposed to Christ through disobedience to His commands. All is not well and that needs to be conveyed in the spirit of Christ. Why? Because as John so tersely states: “...for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.” Acting as if all is well is not how Jesus would respond. In fact, acting as if all is well is the exact opposite of Jesus’ response and constitutes rebellion against God, an obviously condemnable choice. Jesus would establish and distinguish disobedience and obedience. He would be loving and compassionate, but also straightforward and honest. So must we be. So next time someone expresses spiritual kinship with you, don’t agree for the sake of comfort (see Romans 16:17). Stand on God’s Word and be convicted that Truth matters!

One last thought for today. How do we decipher whether or not espousing believers are worthy of private or collective hospitality? Obviously, Christians must ask questions. This is inescapable. This is not creedalism if done correctly and is actually scripturally attested by 1 John 4:1-3. Letters of commendation can also be helpful. We have to be watchful of who we affiliate with on an individual and congregational level. There needs to be a clear demarcation between the sheep and the goats.

Please read 2 John 1:12-13 for tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day!

-Eric Parker

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Deception is a key theme in John’s short epistles that sharply contrasts with love and obedience to the Lord’s commandments. Those walking in the light are illuminated by their observance of God’s commands and precepts; consequently, they reflect that light in the lives of all those to whom they come into contact. Conversely those who willfully reject God abide in darkness and exercise a gangrene-like impact upon all those to whom they hold influence. These latter individuals characterize the spirit of the rebellious (Titus 1:10). These are children of Satan, the original and most pervasive deceiver in any realm. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Pay particular attention here to the phrasing in verse 7. These deceivers “have gone out.” Just as Christ had Apostles, the forces of the evil one launched a counterattack by deploying his own apostles. That these individuals had their own warped minds was not the end of the deception; their influence radiated and permeated the Roman Empire as fast as the gospel. There’s an old saying that goes “A lie can travel the span of the world before truth can get its boots on.” And the extent of Satan and his minion’s deception is incomprehensible. These enemies of all truth no doubt were of the same ilk as those who had permeated at Corinth and as such they were to be regarded with utmost rejection – “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

Louie Taylor has mentioned in earlier treatments the influence of early forms of Gnosticism and how understanding this backdrop establishes the proper context in which we are to read these inspired epistles of John. We won’t reestablish the same points but we will ask you to specially note the import of this background in understanding the second part of verse 7, especially as it relates to the “antichrist” theme picked up again from the first letter. The Gnostics rejected the concept that Jesus came into the flesh; the very concept of God incarnate was repugnant. Their concept was that their spiritual enlightenment could not allow such a defilement of theology.

Sadly, this deception is the exact opposite of the essential facts of Christianity – “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16) “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Galatians 4:4). “He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:16-17)

To deny that Jesus came in the flesh is to stand for the EXACT opposite of what Jesus came to do, the exact opposite of who Jesus is, and the exact opposite of Jesus’ purpose. It is for this reason that such an individual is labeled an “antichrist.” And no, that moniker does not simply apply to a singular person in the near future as some harbinger of the end of days. The premillennial concept of “The Antichrist” is fraught with biblical misinterpretation and deception. Recall the straightforward description in 1 John 2:18-24, that in conjunction with this reference, makes clear who and what being antichrist is all about. Recall that in that passage many antichrists had already gone out, that more would come. That the antichrist(s) is any individual or group that denies that Jesus is Christ, including the fact that He inhabited the fullness of human form, without which He could offer no hope. Any who would deny Christ are exactly that – anti-Christ! John is saying exactly what Jesus said: “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30) The only difference between “against Me” and “antichrist” is the use of a synonymous Greek preposition (“kata” instead of “anti”) and the title as opposed to the pronoun (“Christ” instead of “Me”). Conceptually, these are exact parallels. And to make his point more strongly, John uses definite articles in 2 John 1:7-8 to describe the person characterized by this antagonistic disposition.

Verse 8 contains an admonition. Remember, John has expresses joyous confidence and faith in these brethren in verses 4-6. But the threat of deception was powerful and vigilance was to be maintained at all costs. Not only could they become sycophants of these false teachers, they could also join their ranks. Too many examples could be cited of those who at one time in their lives were pillars of spiritual excellence, only to squander their potential and influence by conforming to the will of Satan rather than Christ. This has contributed to such a pronounced loss to the kingdom, all because of a failure to keep watch. If we watch, we have no concern for losing our reward (compare Mark 9:40ff; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). And notice the change to the plural pronoun. John’s emphasis is fellowship-oriented. As we wrap these two verses out, we leave you with the same exhortation and admonition: keep watch, keep your eye on the prize, and do not fall into the condemnation of the devil by becoming prey to his deceptions. May God grant you the power and the wherewithal to always be this circumspect. May you be found a Christian and not an antichrist.

Please read 2 John 1:9-11 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day!

-Eric Parker

“I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”

---End of Scripture verses---

As one commentator summarized, verses 4-6 reveal the inner life of the local fellowship while verses 7-11 reveal the doctrinal danger from without. It is no wonder that the elder John takes a significant portion of his thirteen-verse epistle to first commend the faithfulness of some of the children of the “elect lady”. In his ripe old age, John’s fiery demeanor (remember the nickname for him and his brother – Boanerges – “sons of thunder”) has tempered through decades of service to the Lord. “The one whom Jesus loved” has now grown into a softer, kindhearted encourager. And what a transformation! That gives hope for all of us doesn’t it?

While struck by this awarding of spiritual accolades, there are two more things to reflect on. First, verse 4 wraps out the five “truths” of the letter. This fifth mention of “truth” is again complemented by its perfect holy counterpart, love. The elect lady’s children are walking in the truth. This fact causes the Apostle tremendous joy at the end of his life after seeing countless souls depart from the faith. In a world where moral relativism abounded, these brethren were remaining steadfast and John rejoiced. In John’s third letter he writes, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4) God’s people at this local congregation were abiding in Him and put their love into action. Recall that Christ emphasized repeatedly on the night He was betrayed that claims of love and loyalty were all for naught if that claim was used to exempt one from service to God (e.g. John 14:15, 21; 15:10, 14; 1 John 5:2-3; et al).

The second point of emphasis comes in the word “some.” Understood from one perspective, it appears that not all of the brethren at this congregation were walking as they should. This select group was unlike “the rest”, an idea found in parallel in Asia Minor churches in another of John’s writings (Revelation 2-3). What the exact numbers and elements may have been we cannot know, but John’s joy may have been pulled on by sorrow for “the rest.” However, the construction could also be understood differently and more positively. If “some” simply refers to those whom John has been blessed to meet, it would say nothing of the “rest” whom he has not met. This is the rendering preferred by F.F. Bruce in his commentary “The Epistles of John” after a brief grammatical examination of the use of the partitive preposition “ek” in verse 4. Either option is possible and conclusions must be made in sound judgment and not bound upon others.

Exemplified by this contingency of faithful believers would be the foremost commandments to love God and to love others. John beseeches them that this continues by using the language of a personal request (Greek: eroto se) as opposed to the more general style of making request (Greek: parakaleo). Daniel H. King in his Truth Commentary on 1-3 John suggests that this verbiage choice may reflect personal relationship. Of course, to love is not new in the sense of novelty for it was long and fairly universally recognized as the pinnacle of God’s law (Matthew 22:40; Romans 13:8). The newness came in the standard laid down by God’s Son – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 8:31). His love is the greatest that could be shown. To His example they were striving and so must we! And this love must not be an involuntary, uncontrollable passion. It must be unselfish service undertaken by deliberate choice. These things are elementary (notice the emphasis on hearing these things “from the beginning”). Love was written upon the first grain of sand in the hourglass of time, and upon every grain that fell after. For all those who would be akin to the “some”, the faithful remnant of God’s people, love must guide our walk. Love. Truth. Light. To these we hold highest esteem and in these is found highest honor. Let us follow the example of these, our brethren, codified in holy writ. In so doing, we shall find our joy, and God’s, made full.

Please read 2 John 1:7-8 for tomorrow.

Have a great day!

-Eric Parker

“The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”

---End of Scripture verses---

John refers to himself as “the elder” (presbyter) instead of an apostle of the Lord in addressing “the chosen lady and her children” (verse 1). At the time of writing this letter, John would have been considered a very old man by anyone having the privilege of reading it. He was likely well into his 9th decade of life, and had the distinct honor of being the last apostle living, having served as an inspired, authoritative ambassador of Christ for well over a half-century. He was so well-known and well-respected among the churches in the region of Asia (Minor) that he could unpretentiously and affectionately introduce himself as “the elder” and still wield the full weight of his authoritative office.

John loved his faithful brothers and sisters in Christ “in truth”. He truly loved his obedient brethren because they made it their top priority to “walk in truth” (verse 4). The apostle demonstrated his Christ-like love for them by warning them about and trying to save them from the “many deceivers” who had “gone out into the world” (verse 7). I am afraid most of us profess love for a good many people in our lives that we have affection for, and yet make no effort to protect them against the “savage wolves” who pervert the truth, and draw them away to their spiritual destruction (Acts 20:29-30). Biblical love does not just feel—it acts, it protects, it serves.

John loved his brethren “for the sake of the truth which” dwelled within them (verse 2). Christians are, of course, to love all people, but especially “those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). God’s children are to cherish those of “like, precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1), and “be devoted to one another in brotherly love,” giving “preference to one another in honor” (Romans 12:10). The love that we have for Christ should draw us closer to those who have Him and His word “abiding in them”. When we grow in Christ’s “truth and love” (verse 3), God’s “grace, mercy and peace” will greatly abound within us, and will find its expression in words and deeds of affection and kindness.

“The truth…will be with us forever” (verse 2). This powerful declaration must have infused great courage and consolation into the hearts of our faithful, first-century brethren who were embroiled in a bitter battle against the enemies of the Truth. False doctrines like Gnosticism will come and go, but the unalloyed, absolute Truth will stand the test of time and endure forever. As we “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 1:3) today, it should embolden us to know that the word of God is and always will be His enduring power to transform lives and save souls. “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’” (1 Peter 1:23-25)

Please read 2 John 1:4-6 for tomorrow.

Have a great day!

-Louie Taylor

This very short, urgent letter was written by the hand of the Apostle John to “the chosen lady and her children” (verse 1). While the recipients could possibly have been a literal, unnamed woman and her physical offspring, the context of the letter suggests that John was addressing a local congregation (likely in Asia Minor). Quoting Daniel H. King, Sr. in his Truth Commentary on “The Three Epistles of John” about the favorability of the congregational view:

“(1) This lady is said to be beloved by all who know the truth. This is more intelligible if it pertains to a congregation than to an individual. (2) Neither the lady herself nor any of her children are named specifically. This suggests a community rather than an individual. (3) The subject matter is not personal or specific, but general in nature, befitting a general letter to a group instead of a private person. (4) The predominance of the second person plural rather than the singular suggests a group rather than an individual (cf. vv. 8, 10, 12, ‘look to yourselves, that ye…’, etc.)… (6) Personification of the church in a feminine form is entirely in harmony with other New Testament usage (cf. Eph. 5:29f; 2 Cor. 11:2ff; 1 Pet. 5:13).”

The apostle had “many things to write to” this local church, but he desired to communicate these issues to them in person (verse 12). Yet two of these concerns were of such great significance, he felt compelled to write in advance of his arrival as a form of warning and encouragement to his brethren. John’s first priority was to emphasize the importance of “truth” and “love”. Five times in the first four verses we find the word “truth” as John stressed the critical nature of “walking according to His commandments” (verse 6), and abiding in the “doctrine of Christ” (verse 9). As we learned from John’s first letter, deviation from the Truth was already well underway in the Lord’s church, and it was progressing even as he penned this epistle. He was going to do everything within his power to stem the flow of heretical teaching, and the havoc that it wreaks on the Lord’s body, and we should take his actions no less seriously in this world of full-blown apostasy in which we live.

The doctrine of Christ is far too pure and holy to sit idly by as people overtly pervert and besmirch God’s Sacred Writ in the name of “progress” and “inclusiveness”. But friends, we must strive to avoid hatefulness in our rejection of “politically correctness”. As the second aspect of John's emphasis implies, we must ever focus on “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). The word “love” also leaps off the page at us with almost equal force as “truth” does, occurring four separate times in the first five verses. “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:3-6)

Please read 2 John 1:1-3 for tomorrow.

-Louie Taylor