Read 2 John 7–13
Questions from the Scripture text: Who have gone out into the world (2 John 7)? What quantity? What do they not confess? What does this reveal about them? What must the apostle’s readers look to (2 John 8)? In order not to lose what? But receive what? What about for those who transgress this doctrine (2 John 9)? What if one does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, what doesn’t he have? What if one abides in the doctrine of Christ—what (Whom!) do they have? What may happen (2 John 10)? What two things mustn’t they do to false teachers? What does someone who greets a false teacher share in (2 John 11)? But who greets them (2 John 12)? In hopes of doing so in what manner? Who else greet them (2 John 13)?
Why is the truth about Jesus so important? 2 John 7–13 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the truth about Jesus is crucial, because lies about Jesus will keep you from having Jesus Himself.
Joy augmented by grief, 2 John 7-8. One more reason for John’s great rejoicing in 2 John 4 now appears. After having to deal with so many deceivers, it must have been a great joy indeed to find sound believers! How the apostle must have grieved over those who did not confess Jesus as God, Who has added humanity to Himself. These “antichrists” are not satisfied to believe falsely by themselves. Twice, 2 John 7 warns that they are “deceivers,” and 2 John 8 warns the church to which John is writing, “Look to yourselves.” Someone who seems to have believed, if he turns from the true doctrine of Christ, shows that he has believed “in vain” and has never believed or been justified (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:2).
Deadly Christology (or lack of it), 2 John 9. Christians are to abide, to remain, to dwell, to live in the true teaching about Christ. Indeed, Christians are to abide in Christ Himself, but if they do not abide in the true doctrine of Christ, then any “christ” in whom they dwell will be a figment of their imagination and not the Redeemer.
Many who begin to quibble about His divinity, or corrupt the truths about either His one divine personhood or His two complete, distinct, united, but unconfused natures… they question what the big deal is. Others who lack love for Him and interest in Him feel a moral superiority over those who are “too intensely” theological about Jesus. But 2 John 9 teaches us the big deal: it’s about whether we have the Son and the Father. And there can be no bigger deal.
How the deadly disease spreads, 2 John 10-11. Why does the apostle teach this shunning? Isn’t it unkind?! What is truly unkind is welcoming, encouraging, or expressing fellowship with someone who comes as if a Christian, but with wrong doctrine about Christ. John says that doing so gives you a share in his evil deeds. He has seen how Christians were lulled into tolerating Christ-denying, God-denying, soul-destroying heresy by other believers’ toleration. Among excommunicants (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:9–13), the wolves (false teachers, cf. Matthew 7:15) must especially be rejected and avoided (cf. 2 Peter 2:1–3). By failure to do so, how many Christians have been sadly and subtly destroyed these twenty centuries!
One happy antidote, 2 John 12-13. The apostle now returns to the mutual delight and joy that he has with them as true believers. There’s much more that he could write (2 John 12), but he’d prefer the fuller joy for both of them that comes from greeting one another face to face. Greeting one another, taking delight in one another, is an important part of how God uses us in one another’s lives. The members of the church that John is with at the time therefore send greetings with him back with those members who have so delighted them (2 John 4). What we are not to do with the false teachers is precisely the thing we should seek to do as much as possible with one another!
With what false teachers/believers should you being careful not to associate? How do you bring the true doctrine of Christ into your thinking, praying, and conversation? What true believers do you take delight in, and greet, and encourage face-to-face as much as God gives you opportunity?
Sample prayer: Lord, forgive us for how tolerant we have been with those who claim to be Christians but do not confess Jesus Christ as God Who has come in the flesh. Forgive us for how careless we have been to guard our own theology and that of others. We have worried so much about being friends to antichrists that we have sometimes acted as enemies of believers’ souls. But You have guarded us in Your kindness, and atoned for our sin, and given us Your Spirit. Forgive us and cleanse us and grow us, and give us great fellowship with true believers, we ask through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP197 “Christian Unity” or TPH406 “Jesus, with Thy Church, Abide”
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