1,2,3 John : Lesson 8
Overview
2 John: Truth, Love, and a Clear Witness
Though 2 John is the shortest book in the Bible by verse count, its message is weighty. The apostle John, identifying himself as "the elder" (a term used in the New Testament for pastor, alongside bishop), writes to "the elect lady and her children" 2 John 1:1-3. While this could refer to an individual woman, the wider context points to a congregation. Scripture frequently uses feminine imagery for the church—Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her Ephesians 5:25, and the church is pictured as the bride of the Lamb Revelation 21:9. The plural form of "you" in verse 10 confirms John is addressing a body of believers, not just one family.
Truth Gives Birth to Love
John says he loves this congregation "in the truth," and so do "all who know the truth." The bond among Christians is not merely temperamental compatibility, shared interests, or natural affection—though those gifts are real. The deeper bond is the truth of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. We love one another because Christ first loved us. This means a congregation's love for one another is the visible expression of what it believes about Christ's saving work.
Love Takes Shape in Obedience
That love, John insists, is not abstract sentiment. It walks. "This is love, that we walk according to his commandments" 2 John 1:4-6. Jesus said the same thing plainly: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" John 14:15. The law shows us our sin and our need for a Savior; the gospel forgives and empowers us; and the Spirit then bears the fruit of obedient love in the life of the church. This is the opposite of consumerism, which treats the congregation as a market and the gospel as a product to be softened for palatability. A congregation shaped by truth lovingly bears one another's burdens, prays for one another, and—when needed—gently confronts a brother or sister caught in sin so that they may be restored.
A Clear Witness Guards the Truth
Because love is rooted in truth, the witness of the church must be clear. John warns sharply against false teachers: "Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh… Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching" 2 John 1:7-11. This is not a prohibition on ordinary courtesy but a refusal to extend the church's fellowship and platform to teaching that distorts who Christ is and what he has done. Paul shows the same pastoral jealousy in 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 and Galatians 3:1-3, confronting those who would substitute "another Jesus" or another gospel. The most loving thing a church can do is to insist on the truth—because only the truth saves.
Pastoral Application
The flow of 2 John is simple and searching: truth gives rise to love; love expresses itself in obedience; obedience requires a clear witness. Lose the truth, and love loses its foundation. Lose love, and obedience becomes mere performance. Lose obedience, and the witness goes silent or compromised. Practically, this means evaluating the missionaries, agencies, and teachers we support by what they confess about Christ; it means caring for one another in spiritual and physical need; and it means receiving God's Word preached in its purity and the sacraments rightly administered, where the church truly lives. May our congregation be exactly what John describes—a people loving one another in the truth, walking in his commandments, and bearing a faithful witness to the One who came in the flesh for our salvation.
Transcript
Good morning. 3s
Let's pray together, please. 6s
Almighty God, you have called your church to witness that in Christ you have reconciled 9s
us to yourself. 15s
Granted by your Holy Spirit, we may proclaim the good news of your salvation, so that all 18s
who hear it may receive the gift of salvation. 24s
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. 28s
What we looked last week at 1 John, and we looked at it from the perspective of how does 32s
1 John reflect themes that were already revealed in the Old Testament? 39s
And we saw how John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit here, was highlighting 45s
those same themes of creation and sin and atonement. 52s
That's a nice little outline as we explored last week in terms of our witnessing with people. 59s
Just to keep those three words in mind. 64s
So a very brief example of that would be to talk about the perfection of creation that 67s
God did not create a sinful world filled with sinful human beings, that God's creation 73s
was perfect. 81s
God is perfect. 82s
Sin entered the world, which means now that there's a rift between a perfect God and an 84s
unholy humanity. 91s
And the third aspect was atonement. 93s
How does God bring this broken relationship back together again? 97s
How does God make us at one with Him? 101s
And that of course is true. 105s
The work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice on the cross, the sacrifice being accepted 106s
through the empty tomb. 112s
So the themes that John highlights in 1 John, which echo themes in the Old Testament, 114s
it really provides for us a nice working outline for witness. 121s
Well today I'd like to turn with you to 2 John, and we're going to examine that book 127s
today. 132s
But let me start out with a little Bible trivia. 134s
Are you ready? 137s
The oldest person mentioned in the Bible. 140s
You know who that is? 145s
Yep, it's Mathusa lot. 147s
Yep, we live 969 years. 149s
A Genesis the 5th chapter tells us just a little aside of that. 153s
When you're studying through the scripture, you'll notice that the lifespan of people closest 157s
to creation is longer. 162s
And you see particularly after the flood, you see the shrinkage of life expectancies. 165s
Just a little fun fact there as you're studying. 171s
Okay, here's another Bible trivia question. 175s
The longest chapter in the Bible. 177s
Longest chapter in the Bible. 181s
You know? 183s
See, well there we go. 184s
Yeah, Psalm 119. 186s
That was throughout there on that. 187s
Okay. 190s
Here's this one. 190s
The shortest book by the number of words in Greek. 192s
The shortest book. 197s
I don't know where, but you could have fun, I have for a sandwich. 199s
What was that? 204s
I'm sorry. 206s
Nope, no. 208s
Good guess, good guess. 209s
The third John. 211s
The third John. 212s
Yep. 212s
The shortest book by the number of words in Greek. 213s
That's the third John. 216s
The shortest book by the number of verses. 218s
What's that? 222s
Yep, it's second John. 225s
It's second John. 227s
And as a segue, let's turn to second John here. 228s
And we're going to take a look at the shortest book by the number of verses. 232s
So second John, for our study today. 239s
Let's take a look at verses 1 to 3 here. 243s
John writes the elder to the elect lady and her children whom I love in the truth. 247s
And not only I, but also all who know the truth. 257s
Because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. 262s
Grace, mercy and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the 270s
Father's Son in truth and love. 277s
Let's break this down a little bit. 285s
Starts out the elder. 286s
Well, one way you can interpret that is a man here who is perhaps has a few more years 288s
under his belt there, right? 296s
That's one way that you can understand elder. 299s
The way I think it's being used here, however, is how we see it in the New Testament where 302s
elder is synonymous with pastor. 308s
So you'll see references in scripture to Bishop. 311s
You'll see references to elder. 316s
Those are all synonymous terms is what we would call a pastor these days. 319s
So the elder, John, then is referring to himself. 325s
John is an apostle. 329s
He's referring to himself here as a pastor. 330s
So the pastor to the elect lady and her children. 334s
Well, it's possible that John was writing this to a Christian woman there in the congregation 340s
and to her children. 350s
More, much more probable, however, is that he is addressing the church here when he 353s
uses that phrase. 359s
So the elder to the elect lady and her children. 361s
And there's a couple of reasons for that. 366s
We see in the New Testament, feminine language with regard to reference to the church. 369s
For example, let's go to Ephesians the fifth chapter, please. 376s
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Axon, Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, and 381s
then Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25. 386s
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her. 398s
So the church then is understood in terms of feminine language or over in Revelation chapter 21. 409s
Revelation the last book. 418s
Revelation chapter 21, verse 9. 420s
Revelation 21, 9. 429s
There, John writes, then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the 434s
seven last plagues came and said to me, come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the 441s
lamb. 450s
And we know who the lamb is, the Lord Jesus Christ. 451s
So the church here is once again referenced in terms of a feminine language. 454s
So to say here that John here in John 2 is addressing a Christian woman and her children in the 461s
church, you start to move on and it doesn't add up. 471s
Another thing you can add to that to know that he's addressing the church is in verse 10 of 2nd 478s
John, so 2nd John, verse 10. 485s
John writes, do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching. 490s
That phrase there who comes to you in the Greek, it's in a plural form. 501s
That's another hint here that he's not talking here just to a Christian lady here. 507s
But it's much more, much more expansive. 513s
Here's me. 516s
In formal English, it's very difficult to make the distinction between a singular U and a plural U. 519s
But in various dialects with regard to English, it's easier. 531s
So could I ask a favor or someone could someone get me a glass of water? 538s
Thank you, many. 542s
But in English dialects here, it's much easier. 543s
For example, when we come to verse 6 here, translation could be, and this is love, 548s
that we walk according to his commandments. 560s
This is the commandment, just as y'all have heard it from the beginning. 563s
You must walk in it. 572s
That then, the dialect, if we can put that term on it, the dialect then acts to define that we're talking about you and plural, because that's what John is talking about here. 575s
So when you see the U here, you can translate that to the y'all, and you can see then the plural form of the U. 589s
So we've got Pastor John. He's addressing a Christian congregation. Thank you, many. Appreciate that. 600s
He's addressing a Christian congregation, and the scene that I want to highlight is back in verse 1. 614s
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love, here it comes, in the truths, loving in the truth. 622s
Then he goes on to say, and not only I, but also all who know the truth. 636s
John is testifying then to his love for this congregation. He's testifying to the love of all other Christians for this congregation, and the basis of the love. 643s
Back to the phrase, groom I love in the truths, in the truth. 657s
It's not then first of all affection that they certainly had for one another. That's not the basis of the love. 664s
Certainly they had affection for one another. It's based on the truth of God's love in Jesus Christ that binds them all together. 674s
So it's not that the people were temperamentally compatible. It's not that they were naturally drawn to one another. 687s
Well certainly that would be that would be evident. But Paul is saying that the basis of the love, it's deeper than all of that. 697s
It's deeper of this love in the congregation and other Christians for the congregation. 706s
It's a love that is rooted in the truth. 713s
We love one another because Christ first loved us. 719s
True love then for one another, the deeper understanding and the deeper form of love in a church, 724s
is the expression then of what it is that we believe about Christ. 732s
That Christ has loved us and gave himself up for us. That profound and deep love then expresses itself in a congregation loving one another. 741s
That's what John is affirming here. So it's love that is rooted just as he says, who am I love in the truth? 753s
We have oftentimes, right? You use the phrase, I just love you. 764s
And maybe that's an association with maybe an expression of humor or some kind of shared commonality that you have. 771s
Is that good? Oh absolutely. But the depths here of John is saying that in the church of Jesus Christ, the long for one another, goes beyond temperamental compatibility or just being naturally drawn to the truth. 782s
To other people in the congregation, he goes, it is rooted in and it's worn out of the truth of what Christ has done for us. 800s
Let's go on into verse 4. 813s
I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truths just as we've been commanded by the Father. 817s
But now, dear lady, I ask you not as though I were writing you a new commandment. 827s
But one we have had from the beginning, let us, notice what he's connecting to the truth, let us love one another. And this is love. 835s
That we walk according to his commandments, this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning. You must walk in it. 846s
True love then, born out of what one believes, the theme again in verse 1, whom I love in the truths. Then he defines that love, this is a love that we walk according to his commandments, this is the commandment. 857s
Just as you have heard it from the beginning, you must walk in it. 874s
Okay, let's go to the gospel of John chapter 14. 880s
Matthew, Mark, Luke and then John. 885s
John chapter 14 verse 15. 888s
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. It's a very similar verse to what Pastor Maloneck freaches on going into today into chapter 15, where Jesus says verse 14. 902s
You were my friends if you do what I command you. Such an excellent sermon this morning as she does an exposition on that text and shows that we did well, I better not, if you haven't heard the sermon, I don't want to give, give away the punchlines there. 921s
But there's glorious, glorious phrases here of how she dealt with the fact that we all fall short in terms of the law that were made friends through Christ that were empowered there. 940s
I can't go any further, let us, and then I'm in a, I'm in a giver assert. Let me, let me leave it this way. It was a really good sermon today. Really good, good sermon. 951s
Notice what John is tying here to love. John is tying obedience to it. 961s
That initially moves us into the help because we realize how far we fall short. 969s
You receive that forgiveness of Christ. We are empowered then to love by his work in our lives. 975s
It is his glorious picture of the church that is being presented here, this gathering of people who love each other. 983s
It's not just we have affection for one another, we get along with each other, we like similar things. 992s
This is a love that's born out of root of what Christ has done for us and because of what Christ has done for us. 1001s
Now that births by God's grace, that love, those who form a congregation are children of the congregation. 1011s
They're family. We care for each other, we care for each other spiritually, we care for each other physically. 1023s
And that love shows itself in obedience. So, so belief, the truth gives rise to the love. 1034s
And then John says, and this is how that love takes shape. It's that God-born obedience that then expresses itself. 1043s
The opposite view of that is consumerism, isn't it? 1053s
Several years ago, he was having a conversation with a man and he said, what's the greatest challenge facing churches throughout the world? 1059s
And without hesitation, I said consumerism, consumerism. That is the greatest challenge that churches face. 1070s
And I'm not talking about this congregation because we don't do consumerism here. 1082s
But in so many churches, the churches brought the problem upon themselves when they started to teach that the congregation was a consumer. 1087s
And what that led to was churches compromising their witness in order to increase, I'm going to put it in different terms now, which are really offensive terms. 1101s
But you understand why I'm going this way, to increase market share. 1111s
So if someone who comes to the church is a consumer, then you need to make sure that the product is a good product that's palatable for them. 1115s
So you change then the product for the needs of a consumer. 1129s
Who among us likes to hear the depths of our own sinfulness? 1135s
None of us, right? 1141s
But that's what the law does, the law purses us. 1143s
It shows us our need for a savior. 1148s
If we don't understand our need for a savior, then we don't need a savior. 1150s
So that's why you hear law and then you hear the good news of the gospel. 1155s
But when the church and so many different examples moved into an emphasis on consumerism, witness then changed. 1159s
Doctrinal beliefs changed. 1172s
Crosses were removed from sanctuaries. 1175s
It became much more psychological in terms of group therapy as opposed to pronouncement of the word. 1180s
All of that was rooted in a church in so many examples around the world that has moved into consumerism. 1193s
That's so far from what John's talking about, isn't it? 1201s
Where John talks about a church that where the people love each other enough, 1206s
to share with each other when we see a brother or sister who is not repenting of a sin, 1214s
then loves that brother or sister enough to go to them. 1222s
And as Paul talks about engendleness confront them in their sinfulness for the purpose of leading that person into repentance, that's love, isn't it? 1226s
That's love. 1238s
That's love when a congregation sacrifices in terms of ministering with others spiritually 1240s
and physically and great sacrifices that occur in churches, people, minister to one another. 1250s
That's the opposite of consumerism, right? 1259s
That's what you have for me. 1262s
John is lifting up this glorious picture of what the church must be about. 1265s
And that is truth that births love and that love and then that by God's grace expressed in obedience, 1273s
where there's the servant nature of one another in the church. 1286s
I've said it many times for a minute once again, one of the most beautiful things that I see occurring as the people of God gather here on Sunday mornings. 1293s
is when you see conversations occurring and there's light-hearted conversations and joviality and that's wonderful. 1303s
And then other times there's sharing of pain. 1312s
And you just see it. 1315s
Or people praying for each other out in the hallway. 1317s
See, there's church, right? 1321s
There's church that's living out this born out of what we believe, born out of the truth, 1324s
a love that then expresses itself. 1331s
Verse one again, the elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth. 1337s
As we love, born of our belief, we must be clear in terms of what we witness. 1347s
We must be clear in terms of the truth. 1359s
Let's go to verse seven. 1364s
Many deceivers have gone out into the world. 1366s
Those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 1370s
Be on your guard so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may we receive a full reward. 1378s
Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, because beyond it does not have God. 1387s
Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 1394s
Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching 1401s
for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person. 1406s
A basic theme in the New Testament is opposing false teachers, opposing false teachers. 1415s
And the modern world really finds this offensive. 1425s
It finds it offensive. 1430s
The prevalent belief in the world is you can believe what you want. 1432s
Just don't bother me with it. 1439s
You can believe what you want. 1441s
Don't bother me with it. 1443s
The greeting here that John is saying, he's not talking about causal greetings that you give to people. 1445s
He's talking about entering into fellowship with the false teachers to where the false teaching then becomes part of the very body and life of the church itself. 1456s
Verse 10 again, do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching. 1472s
And what is the teaching? It's who Christ is and what Christ has done. 1479s
This means then, right? 1486s
That congregations should never support missionaries or agencies or ministries that is contrary to the truth of God's Word. 1490s
Must never do that. Why? 1503s
Because the witness then is compromised. 1506s
The witness is compromised. 1512s
It's not simply that the people will become confused, but it's that the true faith can become undermined. 1515s
And so when it comes to supporting missionaries and mission agencies, etc. 1525s
The first question that we ask here in this congregation is, what do they believe? 1532s
What is their doctrine? 1541s
Because we want to make sure that we're lifting up the truth of Scripture and we're not letting into the house, into fellowship. 1543s
One that doesn't uphold that truth because the lyrity of the witness is vital. 1553s
It all starts with the truth. The truth gives rise to love. The love is expressed in obedience. 1563s
And the witness is a part of the obedience and John Ben says, and that witness it must be clear. 1571s
Clear. 1580s
Upholding the truth of Scripture. 1583s
That that flies in the face of the quote unquote wisdom of the world, doesn't it? 1589s
It just flies in the face of it. 1595s
But a basic theme of the New Testament is to oppose false teaching to make sure that the witness is clear. 1598s
Let's go to 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, please. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans. 1611s
1 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 1 through 4. Paul's getting at the same theme. 1619s
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me. 1635s
I feel a divine jealousy for you. For I promised you in marriage to one husband, resent you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 1640s
But I'm afraid that is the serpent to see the Eve by its cunning. Your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 1654s
For if someone calms and proclaims another Jesus, then the one we proclaimed. 1667s
Or if you receive a different spirit from the one you receive or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily and off. 1672s
See, what is Paul doing there? But Paul is lifting up the fact that there has been a departure from the truth here. 1686s
And the most loving thing to do then is to confront the false teachers and to warn those that have fallen into false teaching. 1697s
Let's go to Galatians 3 chapter, verse 1. 1707s
Galatians 3, verse 1. 1713s
1 to 3. 1717s
You foolish Galatians who has bewitched you. 1723s
It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucify. 1729s
The only thing I want to learn from you is this. 1736s
Did you receive the spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 1741s
Are you so foolish? 1751s
Having started with the spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 1753s
There's love, huh? 1761s
There's love, truth, love, obedience, witness, clarity of the witness, because it all goes back to the truth. 1764s
Lose the truth that binds one can never love, how God wants us to love. 1778s
Lose that truth that bursts that love will never be obedient, how God wants us to be obedient. 1791s
Lose the obedience then to the truth we won't be witnessing with clarity what it is that God wants us to witness. 1801s
In the end, we wouldn't be the church that God wants us to be. 1811s
That's what John's lifting up. 1816s
He's saying, here's the picture of the church. 1819s
Here's what's going in to that. 1824s
In our doctrinal writings, it says, where is the church found? 1828s
The church is found when the word is preached and its purity and the sacraments are rightly administered. 1835s
There you go. 1842s
There you are. 1844s
It's what John is saying. 1845s
And where the word is rightly preached and the sacraments are rightly administered, the very you have the church and a church that adheres to the truth, everything flows. 1847s
Everything flows from that. 1858s
Our love is born by what we believe and we love by a clear witness. 1862s
John says, and encourages them to insist on truth because only truth saves. 1872s
We insist on truth because our love is based in truth. 1879s
We insist on truth because how can we love if we compromise? 1884s
The truth. 1891s
Second, John, it may be short, but boy is it powerful, isn't it? 1894s
Isn't it? 1901s
Well, next week we're going to take a look at the shortest book in the Bible by the number of words in Greek. 1902s
To third, John, we go next week. 1913s