2 John
Truth 5 times; Commandment 4 times; Love 4 times; Doctrine 3 times Key Scripture: 1:9 Time of Writing: Late 1st Century A.D.
Verses 1-6: Walking in True Doctrine Verses 7-13: Falling from True Doctrine
Purpose:
- To warn against the deceivers that comes in the spirit of the Anti-Christ.
- To instruct against receiving such deceivers
- To encourage them to abide in the doctrine of Christ
Message:
- The believer is to walk in the commandment of love and abide in true doctrine.
- The believer is not even to be hospitable to deceivers and transgressers of the doctrine of Christ.
v.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.
The commandment John mentions here was an old one because it was in the *law (Lev 19:18), although Jesus’ example gave it new import (Jn 13:34-35). In the context of 1–2 John, “loving one another” includes cleaving to the Christian community (rather than leaving it, as the secessionists were doing).
v.6
And this is love: we walk in obedience to his commands. As you heave heard from the beginning, his commands is that you walk in love.
v.7
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.
This phrase in 2 John is designed to rule out Christological heresy. Two types of heresy appeared in the second century, arising out of the roots already appearing in the Johannine writings in the first century. The docetic heresy, on the one hand, argued that Jesus was not a real human being (not truly “in the flesh”), but only appeared to be human. He was truly Christ; the Christ was a spirit that appeared to materialize. Being a spirit, of course, he did not die on the cross, but in one way or another only appeared to suffer and die. (The term docetic comes from the Greek word meaning “to seem or appear.“) The Cerinthian heresy, on the other hand, argued that Jesus was really a human being, but that at his baptism the Christ spirit came upon him, forsaking him at the crucifixion. Therefore the Christ did not die, although Jesus did. Although we do not know exactly what the heretics John is fighting believed (and some of them may have believed an early form of both of these heresies), the phrase in 2 John guards against both of them. And the believer acknowledges that this whole entity, “Jesus Christ,” has come from God and is really human. The form of the phraseology in 1 John 4:2-3 stresses Jesus’ having come from God and becoming truly incarnate. The form here in 2 John 7 stresses that Jesus remains incarnate and did not in some way “split apart” at death or the ascension. In John’s view, an incarnate, truly human, truly divine Jesus Christ presently exists.
v.8
Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.
The truth which is taught here is one of interest to all Christians - that it is possible for even genuine Christians, by suffering themselves to be led into error, or by failure in duty, to lose a part of the reward which they might have obtained. The crown which they will wear in heaven will be less bright than that which they might have worn, and the throne which they will occupy will be less elevated. The rewards of heaven will be in accordance with the services rendered to the Redeemer; and it would not be right that they who turn aside, or falter in their course, should have the same exalted honours which they might have received if they had devoted themselves to God with ever-increasing fidelity. It is painful to think how many there are who begin the Christian career with burnings zeal, as if they would strike for the highest rewards in heaven, but who soon waver in their course, and fall into some paralyzing error, until at last they receive, perhaps, not half the reward which they might have obtained.
v.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.
Gnostic teachers professed to have advanced a long way beyond the simple facts and simple moral teaching of the gospel; they “knew the depths;” they had “things ineffable, secret, higher than the heavens,” to disclose; and these secret things were often not merely incompatible with Scripture, but a complete reversal of it. But it is possible that πᾶς ὁ προάγων may mean no more than “every one who takes the lead,” i.e., chooses a line for himself, which in matters of doctrine means creating a heresy.
v.11
Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.
In the *Dead Sea Scrolls, one who provided for an apostate from the community was regarded as an apostate sympathizer and was expelled from the community, as the apostate was. Housing or blessing a false teacher was thus seen as collaborating with him
v.12
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
The aged John knows that his joy will not be full until he can come to his own people and speak face to face instead of writing with ink.