Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Crier

Home
About

Home
Evangelical
7 Important Bible Verses From The Book of 2 John

7 Important Bible Verses From The Book of 2 John

Last updated on: May 24, 2016 at 8:27 pm by Jack Wellman

7 Important Bible Verses From The Book of 2 John 2016-05-24T20:27:49-05:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here are seven important Bible verses from the Book of Second John.

Second john 1:4 “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.”

Just like a father would delight when returning home from a trip and hearing his children have been behaving, so does the Apostle John, who really is very much like their father, delights in their good report. He delights, as does God, to hear good things about some of the members have been walking in the truth. What isn’t written here is that “some of your children are walking in the truth,” which would mean some of them weren’t.

Second John 1:5 “And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.”

Whoever this “dear lady” is has never been discovered. John could be writing about the church which is sometimes referred to as the bride of Christ or to an actual lady who receives a group of believers into her home for church. Perhaps this letter was intended to be read there. Either way, John was giving the church the same new commandment that Jesus gave the disciples and that was they are to love one another…and that love for one another must be made evident. We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves the church.

Second John 1:6 “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”

As if giving a definition of love, John writes, here it is; love is this; we walk according to His commandments. That’s it! This is the same commandment that John received from the beginning, most likely referring to Jesus when He began His earthy ministry and taught the disciples from the very beginning. This was part of their discipling or training.

Second John 1:7-8 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”

John gives us an idea of numbers in this reference to the number of deceivers. That qualifier is “many” as in “many deceivers have gone out into the world” so John is trying to warn them. There aren’t just a few; there are many! To pinpoint the deceiver, who is also an antichrist, he says it will be anyone who denies that Jesus came in the flesh. John writes about Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Assuredly, that is a reference to Jesus Christ.

Second John 1:9 “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

To be a disciple of Jesus means to be obeying what the Master teaches and that is found in the Word of God. A person might even boast that they know God, but so what, even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). We know the president but that doesn’t mean he knows us. Jesus warned “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21). On the day of Jesus judgment, or His return, “many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matt 7:22-23). It’s not as important to say you know Jesus; the crucial question is, “Does He know you?”

Second John 1:10-11 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

This verse gives us some guidelines when we encounter people with heretical beliefs or those who are in a religious cult. Don’t let them in to your home. Why would you? What could possibly be gained from it? John is very blunt about this by saying “whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” Why would he say that? It’s guilt by association yes, but we know that truth and error don’t mix and what does light have to do with darkness (2nd Cor 6:14). The best thing you could do is to have “no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret” (Eph 5:11-12).

Second John 1:12 “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

John wrote about seeing the church again, face to face, perhaps because he was being held prisoner. This would be one the last few books that John would write (3 John and Book of Revelation). There is no evidence that John was allowed to return to the church and so he wrote these three letters (1st, 2nd, & 3rd John). His joy is complete today because not only does he see them again, face to face, he’s finally see the glory of God at full strength (Rev 21:3; 22:4).

Conclusion

The Apostle John was known as the “Apostle of Love” because of all the references about love. In fact, John, in his own gospel, the Gospel of John, he ever refers to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23) but He also loves you if you and loved you enough to die for you and bring you into the kingdom. For all others, unless they repent and trust in Christ, they only have the wrath of God abiding on them (John 3:36) and ready to be revealed someday. The Apostle Paul’s got a message for all who reject Jesus: It’s “because of your hard and impenitent heart [that] you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom 2:5).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

May 24, 2016

7 Good Bible Verses From The Book of 1 John

Next Post

May 24, 2016 7 Key Bible Verses From The Book of 3 John

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many Gospels are in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

4 3 5 6