DISCOVER
2 John

Verse six says, “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” (2 John 1:6 NIV). 

So one of the ways that we demonstrate love for God is to obey God. You know, when we walk in his commandments and we do what God says, we show that we love him. This is what John is reminding us of here. 

—Gary Hamrick  

Source: “Verse by Verse Bible Study | 2 & 3 John | Gary Hamrick.” YouTube video. Posted by “Cornerstone Chapel – Leesburg, VA,” January 30, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGqBcOOmvXs  

The word “truth” is found five times in this short letter of 13 verses. It is the keyword. The word “love” occurs five times. Truth and love are inseparable. 

—Henrietta Mears 

Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

There are many similarities between 1 John and 2 John. First, in 1 John, the author deals with the same historical situation as that reflected in 2 John. He speaks of those who ‘went out from us’ and do not acknowledge ‘Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh’ (1 John 2:19, 22-23; cf. 2 John 1:7). Second, he brands these false teachers as antichrists, as does the elder in 2 John (1 John 2:18, 22; cf. 2 John 1:7). Third, he stresses the great importance of the love command, which was received at the beginning along with the gospel, just as the elder does in 2 John (1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 21; 5:1-4; cf. 2 John 1:4-6). Fourth, the author of 1 John, like the elder, finds his joy in seeing his children walking in the truth of the gospel (1 John 1:3-4; cf. 2 John 1:4).

There are also striking similarities of language, content, and style between 2 John and 3 John…in both of them he expresses joy that the ‘children’ are ‘walking in the truth’ (2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4); in both the addressees (the ‘chosen lady’ and Gaius respectively) are described as those whom the elder loves ‘in the truth’ (2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1); and both conclude with virtually identical statements (2 John 1:12: ‘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’; 3 John 1:13-14: ‘I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face’).

—Colin G. Kruse  

Source: Kruse, Colin G. The Letters of John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2021.

One of the things I love about the way those two letters (2 and 3 John) work together is they’re two sides of one pastoral issue: 1) The need for the church to patrol itself on what it hears concerning Jesus and therefore restraining itself from adopting anyone to teach or preach. And then the flip side is 2) You’ve got to welcome the right guys and you better support them, you better fund them, you better send them on their way. [In other words,] welcome the brothers who are retaining the apostolic message. Do not welcome into your assembly those who are rejecting it. And both of those follow on the heels of 1 John where he’s really fully laid out how you can know [the difference between those who are truly teaching the truth about Jesus and those who are not]. 

—David Helm  

Source: Helm, David. Interview with Nancy Guthrie. Help Me Teach the Bible. Podcast Audio. May 18, 2017. This podcast originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition.

The Epistles of John are perfumed with love. The word is continually occurring, while the Spirit enters into every sentence. Each letter is thoroughly soaked and impregnated with this heavenly honey. If he speaks of God, his name must be love; are the brethren mentioned, he loves them; and even of the world itself, he writes, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16 KJV). From the opening to the conclusion, love is the manner, love the matter, love the motive, and love the aim. 

—Charles Spurgeon

Source: Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “The Victory of Faith.” The Spurgeon Center (March 18, 1855).

Here in Second John, the Apostle warns the church about being hospitable to false teachers. You see, when someone knocked on the door, the church was supposed to discern truth from error. They were to support the true teachers and shun the false teachers. Refusing to give the false teachers a platform would protect the church and eventually put them out of business. They were not to give God’s people to someone bent on destroying their faith!

—Randy Smith

Source: Randy Smith, quoted from his message, “Contending for the Truth,” from the series Miscellaneous on 2 John:1-13, preached at Grace Bible Church on September 14, 2004. 

It is extremely important that we check everything we see, hear, and read that claims to be “Christian” with the Scriptures. This cannot be too strongly emphasized because one of Satan’s greatest weapons is deceit. It is very easy to be taken in by a new and exciting doctrine that appears to be based on Scripture but which, if examined closely, is in fact a departure from the Word of God. If what appears to be happening does not line up explicitly with Scripture, then this is false and not of the Spirit, and we should have nothing to do with it.

—Got Questions

Source: “Summary of the Book of 2 John,” Got Questions Ministries, accessed May 31, 2023, [https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-2-John.html]

Second John stands in direct antithesis to the frequent cry for ecumenism and Christian unity among believers. Love and truth are inseparable in Christianity. Truth must always guide the exercise of love (cf. Ephesians 4:15). Love must stand the test of truth. The main lesson of this book is that truth determines the bounds of love, and as a consequence, of unity. Therefore, truth must exist before love can unite, for truth generates love (1 Peter 1:22). When someone compromises the truth, true Christian love and unity are destroyed. Only a shallow sentimentalism exists where the truth is not the foundation of unity. 

—John MacArthur 

Copyright 2023, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission. This Grace to You article originally appeared here at gty.org.