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Introduction to 2 John

General Information

NameThis is the second letter John wrote.
Author and Date

Unlike 1 John, 2 John gives the author of the letter: "the Elder" (vs. 1). Although some have argued that "the Elder" was John the Elder, an obscure early church leader, the style and vocabulary match 1 John, which was almost certainly written by John the Apostle.

The letter was likely written soon after 1 John, so probably around A.D. 90-91. 

AudienceAlso unlike 1 John, 2 John gives the recipient: "the elect lady and her children" (vs. 1). There is a question about who, exactly, these were. Some have argued for the audience being a figurative reference to some local church, probably in southwest Asia Minor. Arguments in evidence for this interpretation include the content of the letter, which seems directed at a church, rather than an individual (c.f. Paul's letters to Timothy or to Philemon). Some of the vocabulary used also seems to point to a group as well (i.e. the use of plural pronouns). It would also be unusual not to identify an individual recipient by name (or not identifying the names of those John sends greetings from for that matter). Others have argued that the recipient was indeed a literal woman and her family. Although Paul and John both referred to the Church in feminine terms, they never called an individual church an "elect lady and her children." Also, John gives a greeting in the last verse that seems to say he was with the recipient's nephews and nieces, which would be an odd greeting going to a church rather than an individual.
Message and Occasion

Although the audience is not clear, the message of this short letter is clear: guard against false teaching by holding onto the truth.

The occasion of the letter is not known either, but from the content of the letter it seems there were false teachers trying to infiltrate the church, bringing with them Gnostic Docetism (see introduction to 1 John), and John was concerned that some might be swayed to this heresy.

Key Information

Key Verses

Vs. 6 "This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that  as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it."

Vs. 9 "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son."

Key People

The Elder

The sender of the letter calls himself "the Elder." The title isn't necessarily meant to convey that the sender was the Elder of a specific church, although it is possible.

The Elect Lady and Her Children  

The recipients were obviously very close to the sender. He opens the letter professing his love for them, and ends the letter expressing his desire to see them.

Important Theology in 2 John

The True Humanity of ChristJohn said that anyone who denies that Jesus came in the flesh is "a deceiver and an antichrist" (vs. 7).
The TrinityJohn refers to two Persons of the Trinity in 2 John: the Father and the Son (vs. 9).

General Outline

Greeting (Vs. 1-3)

  1. Sender and Recipients (1-2)
  2. Prayer of Blessing (3)

Admonition to Love One Another (Vs. 4-6)

  1. Love One Another (4-5)
  2. What is Love? Obeying God's Commands (6)                                                                          

Warning of False Teachers (Vs. 7-11)

  1. False Teachers Are Coming (7-8)
  2. How to Identify False Teachers (9-11)

Farewell (Vs. 12-13)

  1. Hopeful Visit (12)
  2. Greeting (13)

Used by permission. ©2017 H. Wayne House, Charting the New Testament. All Rights Reserved.