2 John

Truth and love are frequently discussed in our world but seldom practiced.

From politicians to marketers, people conveniently ignore or conceal facts and use words to enhance positions or sell products. Perjury is common, and integrity and credibility are endangered species. Words, twisted in meaning and torn from context, have become mere tools for ego building. It is not surprising that we have to ‘swear’ to tell the truth.

And what about love? Our world is filled with its words: popular songs, greeting cards, media counselors, and romantic novels shower us with notions and dreams of ethereal, idyllic relationships and feelings. Real love, however, is scarce – selfless giving, caring, sharing, and even dying. We yearn to love and be loved, but we see few living examples of real love. Plentiful are those who grasp, hoard, and watch out for ‘number one.’

Christ is the antithesis of society’s prevailing values, that is, falsehood and self-centredness – for He is truth and love in person. Therefore, all who claim loyalty to him must be committed to these ideals – following the truth and living the truth, reflecting love and acting with love toward one another.

The apostle John has seen Truth and Love firsthand – he had been with Jesus. So affected was this disciple that all of his writings, from the Gospel to the book of Revelation, are filled with this theme: truth and love are vital to the Christian, and are inseparable from the Christian life. Second John, his brief letter to a dear friend, is not different. John says to live in the truth and obey God (v4), watch out for deceivers (v7), and love God and each other (v6).

Second John will take just a few minutes to read, but its message should last a lifetime. As you reflect on these few paragraphs penned by the wise and aged follower of Christ, recommit yourself to being a person of truth, of love and of obedience.

VITAL STATISTICS:

Purpose: To emphasize the basics of following Christ – truth and love- and to warn against false teachers

Author: The apostle John

To Whom Written: To ‘the chosen lady’ and her children – or possibly to a local church

Date Written: About the same time as 1 john, approximately A.D. 90 froom Ephesus

Setting: Evidently this woman and her family were involved in one of the churches that John was overseeing –they had developed a strong friendship with John. John was warning her of the false teachers who were becoming prevalent in some of the churches.

Key Verse: “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” (v6)

Key People: John, the chosen lady, and her children

MEGA THEMES:

Theme	Explanation	Importance
Truth	Following God’s Word, the Bible, is essential to Christian living because God is truth. Christ’s true followers consistently obey His truth.	To be loyal to Christ’s teaching, we must seek to know the Bible, but we may never twist its message to our own needs or purposes or encourage others who misuse it.
Love	Christ’s command is for the Christians to love one another. This is the basic ingredient of true Christianity.	To obey Christ fully, we must believe his command to love others. Helping, giving, and meeting needs put love into practice.
False leaders	We must be wary of religious leaders who are not true to Christ’s teaching. We should not give them a platform to spread false teaching.	Don’t encourage those who are opposed to Christ. Politely remove yourself from association with false leaders. Be aware of what is being taught in your church.