Overview of the Book of 2 John

The overview of the week for this Sunday is the book of 2nd John. This, along with 3rd

John, these are the shortest epistles in the New Testament, written toward the end of the 1st century.

This basically appears to be a personal letter written by the Apostle John to a woman that he calls the elect lady.

Some people view the elect lady as a metaphor for a church, but if we take it at face value,

John seems to be writing to a Christian woman that he knows very well, along with her family.

So the message or the theme of the letter is something like a back to basics.

He says in verse 5, there's only one chapter. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

This is love, that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment that you have heard from the beginning that you should walk in it.

So notice that love, according to the Bible, is defined as keeping

God's commandments. The reminder appears to have been necessary because of the issue of false teachers.

I've told you this before. Most of the New Testament epistles were written, at least to some degree, because of this problem.

So God's people, they know the truth, but a false teacher can lead them, come in and lead them in one wrong direction or another.

And that appears to be what has happened here with this woman. Also, there may have been an early form of Gnosticism being spread where the human nature of Christ was called into question.

John says in verse seven, for many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess

Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. He says, this is a deceiver and an antichrist.

John then warns the elect lady and all who read this, John warns them, do not receive false teachers into your home.

As the King James puts it, neither bid them God's speed.

In other words, practically speaking, if the Jehovah's Witness or a Mormon comes and knocks on your door, don't invite them in and give them a cold glass of water and wish them well and God bless you.

Have a nice day. John is saying, no, don't do that. Avoid them because if you lend aid or comfort, you become a partaker of their evil deeds.

And John warns the elect lady. He says, you may lose your reward if you do that. Back then false teachers, here's the problem.

False teachers took advantage of Christian hospitality. The only way they could operate is to go place to place and someone would put them up for the night.

So John is saying, don't feed them. Don't give them a place to stay. Today, the message might be don't promote their material.

Don't send them money. The clear concern John had was that Christians need to practice separation from professing believers because remember the false teachers claimed to believe in Jesus.

They just had a different Jesus, a different view of Jesus. So John wants believers to separate themselves from professing believers who practice and affirm sin and false doctrine.

John then ends the letter with verses 12 and 13. He says, having many things to write to you,

I did not wish to do so with paper and ink. In other words, I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you this face to face, but he says,

I hope to come to you and speak face to face that our joy may be full. And then he says, the children of your elect sister greet you.