Chapter 63
2nd John
“For the Truth’s Sake”
Though it does not
bear his name, it is evident that this epistle was written by the apostle John.
When we compare its language (2 John 1:5-9) with that of 1st John (1
John 2:7-8; 3:23; 4:1-3; 5:3), we see that the language used here is the same. John’s
purpose in writing this brief epistle is to exhort and encourage us to continue
in the truth and faith of the gospel, to walk in love to God and his people,
and to avoid false teachers and their doctrines.
The Elect Lady
John addresses this epistle to “the
elect lady.” Did you ever pause to think about what name is used most often
in the New Testament to describe God’s people? They are called “saints”
forty times, “sons of God” sixteen times, “strangers” six times,
“Christians” just three times, and “believers” just twice. But
the term that is used more often than any other, except for “saints,” to
describe the people of God in the New Testament is “the elect.” In fact,
the word “saints” is but another way of saying, “elect.” God’s
saints are those separated from others, separated unto God from eternity by
electing love.
Election
was such a commonly known and commonly discussed theme in the early church that
when believers spoke to and about one another they used the word “elect”
to distinguish God’s people from the rest of the world.
Many suggest that this “elect lady”
was a certain, believing woman, and that John wrote this epistle to her and her
believing children. Perhaps that is the case. In Christ there is neither male
nor female. Both are one in him. And it would not be unlikely that one of the
epistles of the New Testament might be addressed to a woman.
It is certain that our Lord gave special
attention to and showed special care for certain women: — the Samaritan woman,
— Mary and Martha, — the woman with an issue of blood, — the Syrophenician, and
the woman who anointed him for his burial. After his resurrection he appeared
to a woman and sent her to tell the disciples that he was alive. If we think of
Miriam, Ruth, Deborah, Esther, Dorcas, Lydia, Priscilla, Lois, and Eunice, we
should not be at all surprised to see the Holy Spirit honor and distinguish a
certain woman by addressing an apostolic epistle to her.
If the epistle was written to an individual
woman and her children, it should be noted that her children were addressed as
grown, mature children who were found “walking in truth” (v. 4). They
were children who had themselves professed faith in Christ and walked in truth.
I think, however, that John uses the term,
“the elect lady”, to refer to a local church. It really does not matter
which. Neither is there any need for us to know which. The epistle was written
by divine inspiration for and to all who walk in truth. It is certain that
John’s words are written to every child of God in this world, for God’s
children are God’s elect. His church is his “elect lady.” God’s elect
are those chosen by his grace to eternal life in Christ before the world was
made (Matt. 24:31; Rom. 8:33; Eph. 1:3-6; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess.
2:13-14; 1 Peter 1:2).
We are not told when the epistle was
written, or where John was when he wrote it. But, again, such things are not
material. It is God’s Word to us today. May he teach us its message and make it
sweet to our souls.
The Truth
“The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the
truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth” (v. 1).
— John calls himself an Elder
because he was both a pastor and an old man. At the time he wrote this epistle,
he was at least a hundred years old. He expresses his sincere and heartfelt
love for this elect lady and her children, whom he and his companions loved in
the truth. He speaks of the joy he and his companions, who were lovers of the
truth, found in these who walked in the truth.
Believers
love all men as men, but God gives his elect a special love for those who are
in the family of faith (Gal. 6:10; Titus 3:15). Notice the connection between
John’s love for God’s saints and their love for the truth. Those who love
Christ, who is the Truth, love all who walk in the Truth. We love one another
for Christ’s sake. It is he who dwells in us and abides in us forever.
Notice this too — John speaks to God’s elect
with great confidence, as well as with great tenderness and affection. “The
elect lady,” as John calls her, had in her election all the blessings,
benefits, and effects of election. As the bud contains all the future blossoms
and foliage of the flower, so God’s elect have all the blessings of grace in
Christ (Eph. 1:3-6), “according as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world.” Robert Hawker wrote…
“Together with this electing grace, there is
the calling grace appointed also. ‘For
whom he did predestinate, them he also called’ (Rom. 8:30). And in the
season of that call, there is given the pardoning grace to all sins. So
blessedly speaks the Apostle. ‘And you
being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he
quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses’ (Col.
2:13).
And neither doth the blessing stop here. For
justification immediately follows. ‘Being
justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’
(Rom. 3:24). And both sanctification and glory bring up the rear, in the
sure events involved in the blessed act of God’s sovereign love, when, from all
eternity, the Lord chose the church in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:4; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2
Tim. 1:9; Rom. 8:30, 31).”
The Truth’s Sake
“For the truth’s
sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever” (v. 2). — The word “truth” occurs five times in
the first four verses of this epistle. It refers both to Christ and to the
doctrine of Christ. The two cannot be separated. Truth is more than mere facts
about Christ. Truth is Christ himself (John 14:6; 4:24; 8:32; 18:37). Christ
dwells in us and his Word dwells in us, as an inward principle of grace forever
(John 15:4-7; 17:17).
John’s Salutation
“Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and
love” (v. 3). — John’s
salutation is like that used by other apostles (1 Tim. 1:2; Rom 1:7), but he
characteristically adds, with respect to Christ, that he is the Son of God.
This was a special issue to John and it appears that he never missed a chance
to state it emphatically (John 1:1; 10:30; 1 John 1:3, 7; 4:2, 15).
“In
truth and love” — These two words, “truth” and “love”, are
used repeatedly in this epistle. They are companions. They cannot be separated.
God is light (truth) and God is love. Let them ever be united in our minds and
hearts. Truth without love becomes stern, cold, and even cruel. Love without
truth (if such were possible) would be unstable and without foundation.
Great Joy
“I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children
walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father” (v.4). — God’s children rejoice when they
find others who are God’s children. The Psalmist sang, with regard to God’s
church, his “elect lady,” — “Lo!
Children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps.
127:3).
Apply these words, as we may to an individual household, and see cause for great joy to any parent. To see our children walking in truth is, perhaps, the greatest boon we can experience in this world as believers. When they are blessed with grace, we are blessed with grace!
Even when that is not the case, even when we
must, like David, look over our sons and daughters with sorrow, seeing nothing but
Absaloms, Adonijahs, and Amnons coming from our loins, let us, as we sigh, “although my house is not so with God,” take
solace in God’s covenant grace “ordered in all things and sure” (2 Sam.
23:5).
Apply
this to a pastor looking over a local church he has served or a church with
which he has any connection, and the same joy is the expression of a faithful
pastor’s heart and love. God’s servants dance in their hearts when we see his
children walking in truth, walking with Christ in the blessed truth of Christ
revealed in the gospel.
It
brought great joy to the apostles to find the children of this elect lady “walking
in truth,” living day by day in a continual, progressive spirit, attitude,
and conversation which revealed that Christ was in them. They not only
professed to know Christ, but their conduct and conversation revealed a living
union with him. This is the commandment we have received from the Father (Micah
6:8; 1 John 3:18).
Love One Another
“And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote
a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we
love one another” (v.5). — This is the same
thing John told us in 1 John 2:7, 8. He is probably referring to the words of
our Savior in John 13:34. It is that which our Lord taught from the beginning.
How sweetly the life of grace in Christ leads to a life of love. — “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him” (Col. 2:6-7). It is
impossible to be otherwise. Where Christ is, there must be fruitfulness in
Christ. Where the Spirit of God is, the love of Christ shines.
The
love John is talking about is much more than warm feelings and emotions about
God and one another. We cannot love one another and walk in love if we do not
walk in truth, if we do not walk with Christ in the truth he reveals in his
Word — “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the
commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it” (v.6).
Antichrist
“For many deceivers
are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (v.7). — John is referring to false teachers and preachers, who are
described by their character and work. They are seducers, who cause others to
go astray. They pretend to be gospel preachers, to love the truth, to be
concerned for men’s souls, and to desire the glory of God. But they handle the
Word deceitfully. They are impostors (1 John 2:18; Matt. 7:15, 16; 2 Peter
2:1-3).
The primary error of these false prophets is their denial of the person
and work of Christ. They profess to believe in Christ as a prophet, teacher,
healer, a messenger from God, and even the Messiah and the Son of God, but they
deny him altogether by denying that he has come in the flesh and accomplished
all that the Scriptures declare he would accomplish — The redemption and
salvation of his people (Dan. 9:24; Isa. 53:10-11; Matt. 1:21; Heb. 9:12). They
do not necessarily deny that he came. They deny that he has effectually
accomplished what he came to do, but assert that he merely made redemption and
salvation possible. These whom John describes as antichrists deny that
the Lord Jesus actually finished the transgression and made an end of sins,
that he brought in everlasting righteousness, that he fulfilled all the
prophets, “sealed up the vision,” and that he was anointed as Lord over
all because he finished the work.
He who is the Christ “shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied.” The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be
discovered a miscarriage! He satisfied the justice of God and the justice of
God shall satisfy him. “He shall see his seed” brought out (out of
captivity, prison, bondage, and the world), brought in (into his kingdom),
brought up (taught and cared for), and brought home! All who deny, either in
word or in doctrine, by statement or implication, that Jesus Christ is God are
deceivers and anti-Christ (John 10:30-33; Matt. 1:21-23).
Look to Yourselves
“Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things
which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (v.8). — This is an exhortation to the elect
lady and her children to look about them, be aware of these antichrists and
their doctrine, to take care of themselves and beware of these false teachers
and their doctrines (2 Cor. 11:1-4).
We
must take care not to lose, or throw away, those things that we have wrought by
faith, those things that we profess have been wrought in us by grace, and in
the end lose our own souls. If we depart from the gospel of Christ, there
remains no sacrifice for sin (Heb. 10:26; 6:4-6). Christ is our wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). If we are not
redeemed in him, we have no life or hope (Gal. 4:4, 5). Let us persevere in the
faith of Christ until we are made like him. This shall be our full reward (Heb.
3:6, 14; Col. 1:19-23).
The Doctrine of Christ
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son” (v. 9). — Anyone who denies the doctrine of Christ, the Messiah, has
not, knows not, and believes not God. “The doctrine of Christ” concerns:
·
His
person as the Son of God, as truly God, and the union of the two natures —
divine and human, in one person.
·
His
offices as Mediator, Surety, Prophet, Priest, and King.
·
His
redemptive work — his obedience, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension,
by which he obtained eternal redemption for his people.
·
His
return to judge and to reign.
This
is the doctrine of grace, redemption, and eternal glory. The man who abides in
the truth of Christ has both the Father and the Son. He has an interest in them
and a knowledge of them (John 17:3; 1 John 5:11-13).
Receive Them Not
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (v.10). — If anyone comes to your church or
your home (pretending to be a gospel preacher), one who does not preach this
doctrine but despises and denies it, do not allow him to preach in the house of
God and do not entertain him in your home” (Rom. 16:17; Gal. 1:8, 9).
“Neither
bid him God speed.” — Do not help him, encourage him, or pray for him. Do
not give him the impression that you are sympathetic with him.
“For he that biddeth him
God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (v.11). — Those who wish false teachers well, who encourage them, or
who converse with them in a friendly and familiar way instead of reproving them
and shunning them as they ought, are aiding and abetting them, supporting them
in their attacks on Christ and can be considered partakers in their evil deeds.
Conclusion
John concludes this epistle very graciously,
expressing his love for these dear saints, and his desire to see them face to
face, and by conveying to them the greetings of another gospel church, the
elect sister of this elect lady. — “Having many things to write unto you, I would not
write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face,
that our joy may be full”
(v.12).
Although
he had many things to write to them and teach them, he preferred not to do so
with paper and ink. This blessed old man hoped to visit God’s dear saints and
talk to them personally, so that their joy may be complete. There is a great
value in correspondence between believers; but nothing replaces personal
fellowship, exhortation, and encouragement (Heb. 10:24, 25; 3:13; Col. 3:16).
“The children of thy
elect sister greet thee. Amen”
(v.13). — Let us learn (especially gospel preachers) from this short, but
gracious epistle of John the elder, how to address God’s elect with words of
comfort and consolation in Christ. They are to be spoken to graciously and
affectionately, for comfort and edification, to build them up in mutual love,
in the fellowship of the Truth, in the fellowship of Christ, not harshly and
bitterly. As Robert Hawker wrote…
“There is nothing more strengthening to the
Church of God, than when old disciples speak to young ones, concerning God’s
purposes in Christ, as manifested in his electing, converting, redeeming,
establishing grace! It is blessedly said by one of old, “the righteous shall bring forth fruit in his old age, to show that the
Lord is upright.” Did not the Lord the Spirit cause this Epistle to be sent
by John to one Elect Lady, to be recorded in the Church, and handed down,
through the several ages, to the present hour, on purpose to teach old saints,
and especially faithful old ministers, how to speak to the elect children of
Christ, in the several stations and characters as they stand in grace?”