Books of the Bible

The Book of 2 John

New Testament · General Epistles · Genre: Epistle · Author: Attributed by early tradition to John the apostle · Chapters: 1

Second John is a brief note urging believers to hold together the two great commands, to walk in truth and to love one another, while guarding against deceivers who denied that Jesus had truly come in the flesh. It is a short letter with a large heart.

Start reading: 2 John chapter 1

A key verse

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.2 John 1:6 (KJV)

The setting and background of 2 John

Second John is one of the shortest books in the Bible, a brief personal note traditionally attributed to the apostle John, who calls himself simply the elder. It is addressed to the elect lady and her children, most likely a way of speaking about a particular local church and its members, whom John loves in the truth.

In a few short lines the letter brings together the two great themes that run through all of John's writing, truth and love, showing that they belong together. John rejoices that the church is walking in the truth, reminds them of the command to love one another, and warns them not to receive or support deceivers who deny that Jesus has come in the flesh.

Second John was written to guard the truth about Christ while continuing to love one another, and to warn against a false tolerance that would give error a platform. In the sweep of Scripture, though one of the briefest books in the Bible, it holds truth and love together as the double heartbeat of the Christian life, a vital guide for the church in every age.

The story and structure of 2 John

Second John is one of the shortest books in the Bible, a brief personal note traditionally attributed to the apostle John, who calls himself simply the elder. It is addressed to the elect lady and her children, most likely a way of speaking about a particular local church and its members, whom John loves in the truth.

John writes with evident warmth and joy, rejoicing to have found some of the church's members walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded. In a few short lines he brings together the two great themes that run through all his writing, truth and love, showing that they belong together and cannot be separated.

He reminds them of the command they have had from the beginning, that we love one another, and he defines that love as walking according to God's commandments. Love and obedience are not opposites but two sides of the same coin, for to love is to walk in the truth God has revealed.

The occasion for the letter is a warning. Many deceivers have gone out into the world who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and John cautions his readers not to receive such people or to give them a platform, lest they share in their evil work and lose what they have labored for.

The letter is short, John says, because he hopes to visit soon and speak with them face to face, so that their joy may be complete. Even in so few words, truth and love stand together as the double heartbeat of the Christian life, to be guarded and lived out in the fellowship of God's people.

The great themes of 2 John

Key passages in 2 John

2 John in the sweep of Scripture

Second John, though one of the briefest books in the Bible, carries an important message about the inseparable bond between truth and love in the Christian life. It shows the early church guarding the truth about the person of Christ while continuing to love one another, and it warns against a false tolerance that would give error a platform. Its balance, holding truth and love together without sacrificing either, remains a vital guide for the church in every age.

Where Christ is in 2 John

Second John centers on Jesus Christ come in the flesh, the truth that must be held fast, and on the love that flows from him among his people. To abide in the teaching of Christ is to have both the Father and the Son, so that faithfulness to who Jesus is and love for one another are the marks of those who belong to him.

How to read 2 John well

Read Second John as a reminder to keep truth and love together, holding firmly to the truth about Christ while loving his people well. Let it guard you against both a loveless orthodoxy and a love so undefined that it will embrace any error. Walk in the truth, love one another in obedience to God's commandments, and treasure the fellowship of God's people, in which our joy is made complete.

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