BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
2 John — Truth, Love, and the Warning Against Deceivers
The elder writes to an elect lady and her children, urging them to walk in truth and love, to abide in the teaching of Christ, and to refuse hospitality to those who deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.
Scripture
1The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all they that know the truth;
2for the truth's sake which abideth in us, and it shall be with us for ever:
3Grace, mercy, peace shall be with us, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4I rejoice greatly that I have found certain of thy children walking in truth, even as we received commandment from the Father.
5And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6And this is love, that we should walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, even as ye heard from the beginning, that ye should walk in it.
7For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
8Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward.
9Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son.
10If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting:
11for he that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works.
12Having many things to write unto you, I would not write them with paper and ink: but I hope to come unto you, and to speak face to face, that your joy may be made full.
13The children of thine elect sister salute thee.
What this passage means
The letter opens by linking truth and love together. The elder loves the recipients 'in truth' (v. 1), and this love flows from the truth that 'abideth in us' (v. 2). Grace, mercy, and peace come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, 'in truth and love' (v. 3). Truth is not merely information but a reality that dwells permanently among believers and forms the ground of their fellowship.
The central command is 'that we love one another' (v. 5), which the elder clarifies is not a new commandment but one 'from the beginning' (vv. 5–6). Love is defined concretely as walking according to His commandments. This ties love directly to obedience: love is not sentimental attachment but a patterned life that follows Christ's teaching.
The reason for this emphasis on doctrine and obedience is the immediate danger posed by 'many deceivers' who deny that Jesus Christ 'cometh in the flesh' (v. 7). The elder therefore urges watchfulness so that the believers' work is not lost (v. 8), insists that anyone who does not abide in Christ's teaching 'hath not God' (v. 9), and forbids even a greeting to those who bring false teaching, because such greeting makes one a participant in their evil works (vv. 10–11). The letter closes with the hope of a face-to-face visit so that their joy may be full (vv. 12–13).
Context
Because no full_chapter text or context_before/context_after material was supplied, the page draws only on the thirteen verses of 2 John itself, the chapter-level curated note ('Truth and love together'), and the twelve cross-references provided. 2 John is the shortest letter in the New Testament, addressed by an unnamed 'elder' to a woman called 'the elect lady' and her children (vv. 1, 13). The letter has two clear halves: an exhortation to walk in truth and love (vv. 1–6) and a warning against deceivers accompanied by practical instructions (vv. 7–11), with a personal closing (vv. 12–13).
The supplied cross-references cluster around three of the letter's themes: the link between love and keeping commandments (1 John 5:3; John 15:10; 1 John 2:5), the danger of departing from Christ's teaching (1 John 2:24; Titus 3:10; Romans 16:17–18; John 7:16–17), and the warning to hold fast so as not to lose reward (Hebrews 10:35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; Revelation 3:11). The phrase 'Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought' (v. 8) is the anchor for the last cluster.
The addressee 'the elect lady' is identified only as 'Cyria' (G2959) in the Greek, a feminine proper name; the supplied original_words treat the greeting as addressed to a Christian woman and her children, with her sister sending greetings through her own children (v. 13). Beyond what the verses and notes say, no further historical setting is established.
Key words in the original
- G4245 πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros): the self-designation of the letter's author. The supplied entry glosses it as 'older; as noun, a senior,' and lists its uses for a Sanhedrist or Christian 'presbyter.' In 2 John 1 the writer simply calls himself 'The elder,' identifying himself by office rather than by name.
- G2959 κυρία (kuria): the Greek form used to address the recipient 'lady.' The supplied entry defines it as 'Cyria, a Christian woman.' The wordplay between κυρία ('lady') and its related form is what makes the greeting of verse 1 a personal address.
- G1588 ἐκλεκτός (eklektos): the adjective modifying 'lady,' translated 'elect.' The supplied entry glosses it as 'select; by implication, favorite.' In verse 1 it describes the woman's standing before God rather than any personal merit, and the parallel 'elect sister' appears in verse 13.
Related verses
- 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. This verse supplies the precise logic behind 2 John 6, where love is defined as walking after His commandments. Obedience is not opposed to love but is its very expression.
- 1 John 2:24 Let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. This parallels 2 John 9, where 'abiding in the teaching of Christ' is the condition for having both the Father and the Son. Beginning-era apostolic teaching is the test.
- Titus 3:10 A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse. This verse models the practical discipline behind 2 John 10–11. Just as Titus is told to reject a divisive person after warning, 2 John instructs the recipients to refuse even a greeting to a teacher who denies Christ came in the flesh.
Common questions
Who is the 'elder' writing 2 John?
The writer identifies himself only as 'The elder' (v. 1). The letter does not name him. Christian tradition commonly identifies him with the apostle John, the elder of the Ephesian churches, but the letter itself provides no further biographical detail.
Who is the 'elect lady'?
The Greek text addresses her as 'Cyria' (G2959), a feminine proper name. Verse 13 shows that her sister (also 'elect') has her own children who send greetings. The letter treats 'lady' and 'her children' as a real woman and her literal children within a house church setting; no further identification is given in the text.
Why is the warning against deceivers so severe in 2 John 10–11?
The elders reason is that the danger is doctrinal, not merely social. Verse 7 identifies the deceivers specifically as those who deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Because this teaching strikes at the core confession of Christ, refusing to receive such a teacher, and refusing even a greeting, is treated as the only way to avoid participation in their evil works (v. 11).