We are going to spend the next few weeks looking at Second and Third John. These are beautiful letters that have a very personal feel. Danny Akin described them as “Postcard” Epistles: Letters that get straight to the point and encourage and exhort. John seems to be combating an early form of Gnosticism or Docetism, that Christ was not in the flesh and that the Christ in the flesh was not God. He begins a treatise that is short, succinct, and full of timeless Truth. Let’s Begin
2 John 1-6
- Loving the Lady and Her Children (vv. 2 John 1-2)-
The first thing that John does is introduce himself as Elder. It was a common letter writing practice to begin by stating the Author.John does this by calling himself The Elder- the Presbyter. This word would have several implied meanings:
First- Age. These are most likely the last written letters of Scripture, written in the 90-95 A.D. range. John is aged. These letters were most likely written after he left his exile on the Isle of Patmos
Second- Position, as in John was a respected leader within the Church at this time.
Third- Apostleship. John is the last living apostle and he is well known for his ministry with Jesus. He does not have to defend his apostleship as Paul does in some of his letters. His authority is well known.
The next thing John does is to address the recipient of the Letter and he does so with this desciptor: To the Elect Lady and Her Children. There are three possible meanings implied here and each has support among evangelical scholarship:
First- A specific Lady and her actual biological children
Second- The Church Universal and Christians at large
Third- A specific church and its members
I personally favor the last of these. This was written to a specific church and her people. The recipient might have been needed to be concealed to protect from persecution.Though as Scripture, it is applicable to the Church everywhere and to individual Christians of any place and time. One reason I favor this reading is the word Lady is the feminine form of the Greek word Lord (kuria).The Elect or Chosen Kuria (Lady) represents the Church, who God chose as the Bride for the Son and will be presented to Him in Glory in the imminent future.
***Please note though that there is nothing wrong with following any of the above possibilities for the recipient.***
The Elder, the Presbyter, the Apostle John, loves the Lady and Her children. This is a deep and affectionate love and the wording means something akin to “I love you now and always.”
Church, we are to love one another. We are to love one another now. And we are to love one another always. Let us be known for our deep and affectionate love.
2. The Unity of Truth and Love (vv. 2 John 1-3)
In these verses, John is going to introduce us to some major themes of the Epistle: Truth and Love. John says that he “Loves in Truth”- This is both “True Love” and to “Love because of the Shared Truth”.
Have you ever met someone and in the introductory conversation, you find out you have something in common? There is an instant connection that almost immediately builds a friendship. That is similar, but not as deep, as the connected love of believers.We love because of the Shared Truth of Christ. And we Truly Love because of Christ’s True Love.
All who have known the truth share this deep love for the Elect Lady and Her Children. Why? Because of the Truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:The Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. We share this love because of the Grace, Mercy, and Peace poured out upon us in Christ
*Grace- Unmerited Favor, Receiving the Good Things of God that we do not deserve
*Mercy- Compassion and Gentleness, Not receiving the punishment from God that we do deserve
*Peace- The security and joy and comfort that comes from God’s Mercy and Grace
We receive this from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ- He emphasizes both to show the Unity of Father and Son. We must recognize that when speaking of the Trinity, the word Son is Positional. Christ, as Son, is one with and united with the Father. God as Father, God as Son, and God as Spirit are one in essence, unity, and Deity.
So to reflect, Grace, Mercy, and Peace are with us. How? In Truth and Love. Without God’s Truth, we cannot understand God’s Love. If we have God’s Love, it is because we are united to His Truth.
3. The Joyful Endurance of Truth and Love (vv. 2 John 4-5)
It is a blessing for Christians to hear when other Christians are living faithfully. John is pleased to hear this of the Elect Lady and Her children, as we are now when we see it in others.
In order to be this blessing, we must continually walk in the Truth. This implies that I am walking in it now, I will walk in it in the future, and I will continue to walk this way. We walk in this truth because the Gospel of Christ is the power of the Church.
John next turns to a pleading. And he is not pleading anything new.Christ commanded love: (Matt. 22:36-40, John 15:11-14, 1 John 4:7-11).We walk in the Truth of the Gospel and this truth calls us to Love. This is God’s Message to the Church from the beginning.
4. Walk In Truth (v. 2 John 6)
This closes out and connects this section of the letter. John states that Love is walking according to the commandments of Christ (John 14:15-18, 1 John 5:1-5).Again, John is emphasizing the command to Love and Obey is early, the command is current, and the command endures. God’s love for His Elect Lady will Endure, as John’s love will, and the Christian, in God’s love will endure (continue to walk in obedience to Christ in Truth and Love, see v. 4 and v. 6).
The pastor Vance Havner once said, “What we live is what we believe. Everything else is just religious talk.” Christian, are you walking in Truth and Love? Is your life marked by Obedience to God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Are you growing in you understanding of His commandments and their impact on your life?
Sermon from Kellyville FBC on October 4th, 2020: https://youtu.be/mg_NZUgbj2Q
Speak These Things- Titus 2:15 