Lesson 1 of 6
In Progress

Summary of 2 John

SUMMARY

John the Elder writes to a local church leader and her “children” (that is, the local house church), encouraging them to continue to walk in the truth and love of God. He warns them to avoid false teachers or “deceivers” who deny that Jesus Christ has come fully in the flesh.

SO WHAT?

This letter reminds readers that theology matters to our “walk in the truth,” our daily lives in faith. Especially important to any Christian’s life is one’s view of Jesus Christ.

WHERE DO I FIND IT?

The Second Letter of John is the 24th book in the New Testament. It is the second of the three “Johannine Letters,” a collection of writings that share much in common with each other and with the Gospel of John.

WHO WROTE IT?

Similarities among this book, 1 John, and 3 John indicate that the same author (identified as an “elder” in 2 and 3 John) is responsible for all three. The elder and his colleagues may have been the authors or editors of the Gospel of John. Though the Gospel of John and the three Johannine epistles have traditionally been attributed to John the Apostle, son of Zebedee, many scholars question this attribution. In any case, the epistles very likely come from a community influenced and shaped by John’s Gospel. One theory is that the author is “John the Elder,” a figure named by the early church historian Eusebius as a disciple of the Apostle John.

WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?

The Second Letter of John comes from around 90 CE. It was probably written before 1 John, but after the Gospel of John.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

John the Elder opposes the false teachers who deny that Jesus came in the flesh, and he encourages a local church and its leader to continue to walk in the truth.

HOW DO I READ IT?

Read this letter in its context, written to a local house church to keep its members from heresy. Recognize the importance that John the Elder puts on sound theology. The simple language conveys profound issues, and so we should read also for the deeper messages that continue to speak to us.