02.24. SECOND JOHN

SECOND JOHN (Read the Epistle)

Theme: The First Epistle of John is a letter to the Christian family in general, warning against false teaching and exhorting to practical godliness. The second Epistle is a letter to a particular member of that family, written for the purpose of instructing her as to her attitude toward false teachers. She was not to show hospitality to such.

Such an injunction may sound harsh; but it was justified on the grounds that the doctrines of these teachers struck at the very fundamentals of Christianity, and in many cases menaced purity of conduct. By receiving such in her house, the believer to whom John was writing would be identifying herself with their errors. John did not mean to teach unkind treatment of Christians who happen to differ from us doctrinally, or of those ensnared by error. He was writing at a time when Antinomian and Gnostic errorists were attempting to undermine the foundation of faith and purity, and under such conditions it was imperative that Christians denounce their teachings both in word and in attitude. The theme may be summed up as follows: the duty of obeying the truth and avoiding fellowship with its enemies.

Why Written: To warn a hospitable Christian lady against entertaining false teachers.