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Corresponding for Encouragement

by Stephen Davey Scripture Reference: 2 John 1

In the book of 2 John, we see the heart of John the apostle as revealed in a private letter that also happened to be God’s letter to all believers. In it we are reminded of two intertwined obligations for us as Christians: to walk in truth and to walk in love.

Transcript

It has been said that nothing reveals a person’s character and spirit more than personal correspondence. Letters, social media contacts, and phone calls have a way of revealing who we are and what we really want in life.

I am reminded of a little girl who wrote this letter to President Gerald Ford back in the 1970s:

Dear Mr. Ford,

Mothers and Fathers get to have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, so why can’t we have kid’s day? . . . PLEASE let us have kid’s day.

Yours truly,

Stacy

President Ford kept that letter as one of his all-time favorites.

Well, we now open a letter called the Second Epistle of John. It is a little note to an anonymous woman and her children.

And even though his name is not attached, there is no doubt that John the apostle is the author. Eight of the thirteen verses in this postcard are identical to verses found in 1 John.

John was around ninety years old when he wrote this letter, which I find amazing. At that age, he is still writing to encourage other people. This little letter reveals so much of John’s character and spirit.

The letter opens in with these words: “The elder to the elect lady and her children” (verse 1). John does not start with something official like “John the apostle,” or even “John, the last living apostle.” He could have, but he is not throwing his apostolic title around. He is evidently satisfied with being known as “the elder,” a term of endearment the church at large had given him.

But who was this “elect lady”? Some believe the title is a metaphor for the church—either the universal church or a local church.

However, the church is never called “the mother” of believers in the New Testament. Indeed, the church does not give birth to believers; only God does that. Believers are not birthed by the church; believers are the church. So, the idea of a metaphor does not fit.

The word “elect” here is an adjective that can be translated “excellent” or “faithful.” So, John is writing to a faithful Christian woman.

Since John does not mention her husband, it is likely she is a widow—a single mom, in fact—of children who are evidently grown.

After an affirmation of love and a greeting filled with blessing in verses 1-3, John writes in verse 4, “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth.” In saying he found some of this mother’s children following the truth of the gospel implies that some of her children were not. Either they no longer walked in the truth, or they never did.

This is a reminder to every Christian mom and dad of the blessing of having grown children who are faithful to Christ. But it is also not a condemnation if children do not. That is the work of God, which no parent can guarantee. But it is our prayer. John’s words here would have been an encouragement to this woman that the apostle was well aware of her burden.

Beloved, if you have children or grandchildren who are living faithfully for Jesus, rejoice over them! What a rich blessing. And if you have some who have strayed from the truth or have never come to faith in Christ, do not lose hope. Keep praying for them. They are never beyond the reach of God’s grace. Even though you may, God never loses sight of them. He knows exactly where they are today.

John then writes this in verse 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.

He changes the pronouns to plural. By writing here “we love one another,” he is including this woman, her children, and her entire church. He knows she is going to share this note with all the believers in her life, and he wants them all to love one another.

What does loving one another look like? John answers that in verse 6: “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments.” Walking in love is wrapped up in God’s truth, so walking in love is walking in the truth.

Our world today has separated love from truth. Love has been reduced to emotion, or attraction, or passion. The problem is, when the passion fades and emotions die down, so does this kind of love.

God’s definition of love is much more than that; it is not something you feel but something you choose. Love is choosing to act, to give, to sacrifice.

This is the love of Jesus who chose to sacrifice His life for ours. It was not because we were attractive to Him; in fact, the Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

John then adds one of his favorite warnings here to this dear woman and her family:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. (verse 7)

John’s expression that they “have gone out into the world” implies that they are on a mission to find followers.[1] The language is similar to that of the Lord’s Great Commission to us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Satan has his own disciple makers, carrying out his demonic commission. And his ambassadors are just as passionate as we are. Sometimes I am afraid they are more passionate!

John tells us here they have already gone out into the world. They are already at it! We have some catching up to do, beloved. Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, the famous author, once said that a lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

In verse 7 John refers to these false teachers as antichrists. The prefix “anti” means both “against” and “instead of.” Antichrists are against Christ, and they try to substitute a false gospel of Christ for the true gospel of Christ.

John warns this woman and her children, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (verse 8). This has always been a motivating verse to me. Christians cannot lose their salvation, but they can lose a full reward. I do not want to stand before the Lord one day with empty hands. I want to be able to place my rewards at His feet in gratitude for what He enabled me to accomplish for His glory.

This verse ought to motivate us all to keep serving the Lord until we see Him one day.

John ends his little letter with a promise to visit this family in the near future. We do not know if he ever made it there. History and tradition agree that John received the final revelation from God, which we call the book of Revelation, and died soon after that.

In verse 13, John adds a final comment that the children of this woman’s faithful sister send their greetings as well. He ends, as he began, on a very personal note.

Think about this for a moment: John is the famous author and church leader. He has written more inspired Scripture than any other apostle. Yet he takes time to write a note to a mom and her children. I cannot imagine how encouraged this single mom would have been to read and reread John’s letter. 

In this letter John is modeling godly character and grace. Let us do the same. If you had just a few more months to live, whom would you contact? Whom would you visit? To whom would you write? The real question is, What are you waiting for? Do it today.


[1] D. Edmond Hiebert, The Epistles of John (BJU Press, 1991), 302.

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