2 John 1 explained: Love and Truth Belong Together

Greeting to a chosen lady (vv. 1-3)

The writer calls himself simply "the elder," meaning an older leader; tradition says this was the apostle John, though scholars are not certain. Many think the lady God has chosen, along with her children, stands for a local church and its members, while others think she was a real woman and her family.

The old command to love (vv. 4-6)

The elder is glad that some of her children are living by the truth, and he repeats a command they heard from the very start: love one another. He ties the two together, saying love shows itself in living God's way, and God's way is to live in love.

Warning about deceivers (vv. 7-9)

Some teachers were denying that Jesus Christ came "in the flesh," which most likely means they said he was not truly human; the elder calls this the mark of the "antichrist," someone set against Christ. Those who move on past the original teaching, perhaps claiming a deeper or more advanced knowledge, are said to lose their hold on God.

Do not host them (vv. 10-11)

Traveling teachers depended on believers for food and lodging, and churches met in homes, so taking one in gave his teaching a base and a blessing. The elder says not to do this for those spreading the denial, because the host would become a partner in their work.

Closing words (vv. 12-13)

The elder would rather visit and talk in person than write more on papyrus. The closing greetings come from the children of the lady's sister, which, if the lady is a church, probably means the members of the elder's own church.

Key verse: 2 John 1:6

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the instruction to refuse hospitality to false teachers is a lasting rule or a response to the specific situation of traveling teachers in early house churches.

Something to think about

When, if ever, is it right to refuse someone a welcome because of what they believe or teach?