Commentary on Second John
Recently someone asked my thoughts on 2 John verse 8. Since the entire book of Second John is only 13 verses long, I’ve decided to address it as a whole.
I love the way John opens this brief note.
2 John 1–13 (NASB 2020)
1 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,
2 because of the truth which remains in us and will be with us forever:
3 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.
John has written to a lady who, it appears, is leading an assembly of believers. It seems to me from the content of the letter that she is facing some difficulty, but we will get to that in a moment.
First, I notice that John addresses the note to the lady and her children. It seems clear that these are her spiritual children—people she has been teaching and guiding into the truth.
Next, as we see in all his letters, John focuses on the only law we have under the new covenant, the law of love. He notes his own love for this lady and points out that all who know the truth love her also. He has made this point before as we see in 1 John 3:14 (NASB 2020) “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.”
Verse two might be taken in either of two ways, and perhaps both are intended.
If it is connected to verse one, it says that everyone who knows the truth loves this lady because of the truth that remains in us.
If it is connected to verse three, it says that because the truth remains in us grace, mercy, and peace will be with us.
My view is that both are true. As John pointed out in 1 John 3:14, which we just read, those who are in Christ love those who are in Christ. The point is made most directly in 1 John 4:7–8 (NASB 2020) “Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
The Truth that remains in us and will be with us forever is none other than the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Truth. In Hebrews 13:5 (NASB 2020) we read that “…He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER ABANDON YOU.” Knowing this we can be certain that grace, mercy, and peace will be with us in truth and love. We know this from John 1:14 (NASB 2020) “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The point is underscored in John 1:17 (NASB 2020) “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
The good news is that we are filled with love as we read in Romans 5:5 (NASB 2020) “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Since we are in Christ and Holy Spirit dwells in us, we love the sisters and brothers and grace, mercy, and peace are with us in truth and love. That’s the fruit that Holy Spirit produces in every single one of us.
2 John 4-6 (NASB 2020)
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received a commandment to do from the Father.
5 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.
6 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 are to walk in it.
Walking (living our daily lives) in the truth is living by faith. It is living in love. It is done by depending on the Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34 (NASB 2020) Hebrews 11:6 makes it clear that without faith it is impossible to please God. This echoes what Jesus said in John 6:29 (NASB 2020) “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
John tells the lady all of this because he is about to address her problem.
2 John 7 (NASB 2020)
7 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.
The issue being faced here is that false teachers were coming to the lady’s house and injecting their ideas into this group of believers, many of whom were presumably new to the faith and therefore still unclear about many things.
The fact that John mentions that they were teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh points to the gnostic idea that the flesh was evil and therefore could not have housed the Son of God. This, of course would mean that Jesus was not fully human and therefore His death could not propitiate sin. To address this problem, they also claimed that they were without sin. John addressed this heresy in chapter one of First John.
As I’m sure you noticed, John says these teachers are “the deceiver and the antichrist.” The word antichrist means enemy of Christ. The deceiver is that old snake from the Garden, the devil. All teaching that opposes the truth of the Gospel comes from that toothless old liar. It is the great deception proffered by him from the beginning—you can be like God, know good and evil, and do this yourself.
John talks more about this idea in 1 John 2:18–20 (NASB 2020) “18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be evident that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
I raise this here to remind us all that many who are false teachers at one time appeared to be part of the body of Christ. Ultimately however, they left and began to proclaim another gospel which is really no gospel at all. Be on your guard.
2 John 8 (NASB 2020)
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
Now we come to verse eight. The Apostle tells the lady to be on her guard so that she does not lose what they have accomplished and so that she will receive a full reward. Before things get out of hand let me say right here that this is in no way talking about anyone losing their salvation or any supposed crowns or property in heaven.
It is heartbreaking when we develop a relationship, when we open our hearts to another, when we invest in them, only to then have them spurn us and walk away from what had been a beautiful and rewarding relationship. This is clearly a great loss of reward. If her people (they are called children, so deep is the relationship) are hurt and scattered, the reward of familial relationship with them will be lost. The satisfaction that comes from seeing how you have been instrumental in their growth in grace and the knowledge of the Lord is a very great reward.
If wolves come in among the sheep, the sheep will be scattered. Many will be maimed, and some killed. It is the same when false teaching is allowed to infiltrate the assembly of the saints. Not all are mature, strong, and experienced. Some may not yet have come to belief. False teaching cannot be allowed to continue. John goes on in verse nine.
2 John 9 (NASB 2020)
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
We see this sometimes. People grab onto a scriptural idea and begin to expand on it until they cross the line into error. It may be that they conclude that belief is unnecessary. They might think there is more than one Gospel. Perhaps they deny the existence of sin as Gnostics have done for centuries. They go too far and lose site of what scripture teaches.
2 John 10-11 (NASB 2020)
10 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;
11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
John has some hard words for such teachers. He says do not give them a greeting and that to do so is to participate in the evil they are doing. This seems harsh, but it is necessary. A boundary must be set. An example of the sort of greeting John is talking about here would be to come to the door, grab the person’s hand, drag him into a hug, and call him brother, welcoming him into the assembly. Shepherds do not welcome wolves with open arms.
Finally, John closes the letter with a personal note.
12 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 complete.
13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
