Revised by Elisabeth Johnson, 12/23
HeresyHeresy is a belief or set of beliefs and actions contrary to those accepted by the Christian church. Gnostic thought is one example of an heretical belief.
The letter notes how damaging false teaching can be to the church. It prompts contemporary readers to consider whether Christians should continue to be concerned about heresy in the present day.
IncarnationIncarnation literally means “embodied in flesh.” It is a Christian doctrine, based on the witness in John’s Gospel, that God’s Word was made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds confess the central importance of the incarnation of Jesus.
This letter insists on the full coming of the Son of God into human flesh–a fully human Savior. Many philosophies and religions of the first and second centuries saw the body or flesh as inherently evil, and this led some people to resist the idea of Jesus as God incarnate. There are indications in 2 John that these ideas had influenced some in the Johannine community, and the author insists that those who do not confess that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” are deceivers and antichrists (2 John 7).
