2 John - New and Improved Isn't Always New and Improved!
Background on 2 John - Insight for Living
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1 The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
The elder was someone who oversaw the church. Historically people think this was the apostle John, although John identified himself in the gospel of John and 1 John, so not sure why he would do that here. Others think it is a leader of the church.
The "lady" is generally considered to be a personification of something or someone most likely the church. Paul called the church, "the bride of Christ", which is also feminine. John focuses again on the idea of "truth', which he emphasizes in all of his other letters too. This is the truth that John has been teaching about, which they needed to know in order to combat the heresies which had been trying to weave their way into the church.
4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Once again John states that the truth is not an idea but a reality. In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus says, "The truth will set you free". Paul says in 1 Corinthians to, "Speak the truth in love". As know the truth, our job is to walk in the truth by obeying God's commands. Walking in obedience to God's commands will always lead to us loving one another. After all, the greatest commandment given to the Israelites was to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength, AND love their neighbors as themselves.
I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we[a] have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.
If John was so adamant about this point, then the deceivers were teaching something against this basic point. The other main heresy was that Jesus did not come in the flesh. He did not really become a human being. He may have come in the form of a spirit, but never took on human flesh. John is very resolute that someone who teaches this is an "anti-chirst".
Though he was speaking to believers, he was warning them not to get out ahead of themselves. They needed to stick to the basics they were taught. When someone comes in to offer the church something "new and improved" we need to be wary of it. This is the importance of doctrine. There is nothing wrong with new with new strategies to make the church more effective in its mission, but we don't change our message.
John says that is someone comes in teaching anything other than Jesus is both fully God and fully human, do not even welcome this person into your house of welcome them. As you can see doctrine matters.
The apostle John was now much older in age and he wanted to see them again in person. He appears he also wanted to bring some other believers with him. As he thought about visiting them, his reason was that he wanted to make his joy "complete".
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