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Book of 2 John — Quick facts:

Purpose: To outline the appropriate response to false teachers and to encourage believers to love one another

Author: Likely the apostle John

Date: Around AD 85–90

Setting: Written to a community of believers—probably in Asia Minor—who had either already encountered false teachers or were likely to do so soon

Book of John — Overview:

Setting
The setting of 2 John is similar to that of 1 John (see 1 John Book Introduction, “Setting”). False teachers had been traveling in Asia Minor, teaching a heresy about Jesus known as Docetism. These deceivers rejected the apostolic teaching that Jesus, the divine Christ, had a physical, human body, and they were persuading others to think the same way. These deceivers were probably the heretics John alludes to in his first letter. Some of the members of the church, influenced by this teaching, had broken away to form a new sect. The apostle John was exhorting the believers in Asia Minor to be strong in their faith, in their grasp of the truth of the apostolic message concerning Jesus Christ, and in their love for one another.

Summary
This personal letter begins with a greeting (1:1-3 ^a) and then states the author’s wishes (1:4-11 ^b). Above all, John wanted his readers to continue adhering to the truth and to love one another. John warns the believers about false teachers who might come among them, and he encourages them to hold on to the apostles’ teachings concerning Jesus Christ so that they will receive their full reward. At the same time, he commands them not to welcome false teachers into their meetings or their homes or to help them in any way. They should not even wish them well; to do so would be to participate in their heresy. John closes his letter with a promise to visit soon and with greetings from the church.

Author
Some scholars have thought that the John who penned this letter (1:1 ^c) was a different John from the apostle, but there are strong reasons to conclude that John the apostle wrote these letters (see 1 John Book Introduction, “Author”).

Recipients
The recipients of 2 John were identified as a “chosen lady and ... her children” (1:1 ^d). This might refer to a specific woman named Kyria and her biological children (the Greek word kyria, “lady,” can be a proper name). However, it is likely that John was speaking about a particular local church (“the chosen lady”) and its individual members (“her children”; cp. 1 Pet 5:13 ^e). If so, 2 John was probably sent to one of the churches under John’s care in Asia Minor.

Meaning and Message
The message of 2 John is twofold. First, the members of the Christian community must love one another (1:5 ^f). The outworking of this love follows Jesus’ commands (1:6 ^g). Second, John warns the church about false teachers who needed to be exposed, avoided, and shunned.
Many of the New Testament Epistles were written, at least in part, to deal with some form of heretical teaching. This is true of several of Paul’s letters: Galatians (Gal 1:6 ^h), Colossians (Col 2:16-23 ⁱ), 2 Thessalonians (2 Thes 2:1-3 ^j), and 1 Timothy (1 Tim 4:1 ^k; 6:20-21 ^l). Peter wrote his second letter to counter false teachers (2 Pet 2:1-22 ^m), and Jude wrote his letter for the same reason (Jude 1:3-4 ⁿ). John’s letters, likewise, were written as antidotes to the poisonous effects of false teachings, such as Gnosticism and Docetism, that were infecting many of the early churches.

Summary for 2John 1:1-3: 1:1-3 ^o John begins with a standard introduction for a personal letter.

• John mentions truth four times in this brief introduction and once in 1:4 ^p. John wanted his readers to know and live out the truths about Jesus Christ and their relationship with him and not to be led astray by false teachers. 1:1 ^q This letter is from John, the elder: The translators have added John for clarification; John refers to himself as the elder to affirm his authority in the church.

• to the chosen lady (Greek kuria) and to her children: The Greek word kuria could be the name of a specific individual; more likely, it refers to a particular local church and its believers (cp. 1:13 ^r).

• whom I love in the truth: This either means “truly love” (see 1:5-6 ^s) or, more likely, it refers to love between those who profess the same truth about Christ in contrast to the lies of the false teachers (1:7 ^t; see 1 Jn 2:21-23 ^u). John emphasizes the pronoun I to contrast sharply with the lovelessness of the false teachers, who rejected the true church.
1:2 ^v Christian love is rooted in knowing the truth. The truth that lives in us is more than just facts or doctrine; it is the presence of God (see John 14:15-17 ^w), who will be with us forever.
1:3 ^x Grace, mercy, and peace are blessings of which John is confident for those who live in truth and love, and who demonstrate by their actions that they are God’s children.
Summary for 2John 1:4-11: 1:4-11 ^y John now applies the truth and love that he mentioned in the introduction (1:1-3 ^z) to the readers’ situation. Living in truth and love means maintaining fellowship with true Christians (1:4-6 ^aa), but also discerning false teachers and refusing to listen to them or help them (1:7-11 ^ab).
1:5 ^ac I am writing to remind you, dear friends: Literally I urge you, lady. See study note on 1:1.
1:7 ^ad many deceivers have gone out into the world: Docetists were denying that Jesus Christ came in a real body. John refuted this heresy in his first letter (see 1 Jn 4:2-3 ^ae).

• A false teacher is a deceiver, because they mislead unwary believers, and an antichrist, because they distract and lead people away from the true Christ. By using the apocalyptic symbol of the antichrist, John signals the severity of the heresy and the ultimate judgment upon false teachers.
1:8 ^af we: This word refers to the apostles and their co-workers. The apostles taught the truth and defended it against heresies, and believers (referred to as you) are admonished to protect their faith from teaching that could destroy them (1:9 ^ag).
1:9 ^ah Anyone who wanders away from this teaching (literally everyone going beyond and not remaining in the teaching): To go beyond is to contradict the apostolic teachings about Jesus Christ and believe things about Jesus that were not taught by the apostles. This is a warning to the church not to listen to the false teachers.
Summary for 2John 1:10-11: 1:10-11 ^ai Believers should not invite that person, who does not teach the truth about Christ, into their homes. The early churches met in homes (see Acts 2:46 ^aj; 5:42 ^ak; 8:3 ^al; 12:5 ^am, 12 ^an; Col 4:15 ^ao; Phlm 1:2 ^ap), so this could refer to inviting false teachers to a meeting of the church. It could also refer to giving any form of hospitality to false teachers, which would help their mission. The only way to deal with them was to not accept them into the fellowship.
1:12 ^aq Our English idiom face to face has the same meaning as the Greek idiom used here (literally mouth to mouth; see also 3 Jn 1:14 ^ar).

• Then our joy will be complete: Our relationship with Christ is not merely a private experience; we experience the fullest joy in harmonious fellowship with other believers.
1:13 ^as from the children of your sister: This probably refers to the sister church in Ephesus and its members, with whom John was staying (see 1:1 ^at). John lived in that region and cared for several churches.