2 John 1
AOSNAbout 2 John.
The Second Letter of John
Purpose
To outline the appropriate response to false teachers
To encourage believers to love one another
Author
Likely the apostle John
Date
Around AD 85–90
Setting
Written to a community of believers (probably in Asia Minor) who had either already encountered false teachers or were likely to do so soon
Second John is the shortest book in the New Testament. It has only 13 verses. In ancient times, the whole letter could fit on one sheet of papyrus paper. The first letter of John explained the principles of remaining true to God, loving fellow Christians, and being cautious of false teachers. This letter shows how to apply these principles in a real-life situation.
Setting
The setting of 2 John is similar to that of 1 John. False teachers were traveling in Asia Minor, spreading heresy (a false belief) about Jesus known as Docetism. These false teachers denied the apostle's teaching that Jesus, the divine Christ, had a real human body. They taught that it only seemed liked his body was real.
They were also convincing others to believe this. These false teachers were probably the heretics John mentioned in his first letter. Some church members, influenced by this teaching, had left to form a new group. The apostle John urged the Christians in Asia Minor to remain strong in their faith, understand the truth about Jesus Christ, and love one another.
Summary
This personal letter starts with a greeting (1:1–3). Then it shares the author's wishes (1:4–11). John wanted the people to continue following the truth and to keep showing love to one another. He warns Christians about false teachers who may come among them. He encourages them to hold on to the apostles' teachings about Jesus Christ to receive their full reward.
He also tells them not to welcome false teachers into their meetings or homes or to help them in any way. They should not even wish them well. That is because doing so would support their false beliefs. John ends his letter with a promise to visit soon and sends greetings from the church.
Author
Some scholars believe that a different John wrote this letter instead of the apostle (1:1). However, there are strong reasons to conclude that John the apostle wrote these letters (see 1 John Book Introduction, “Author”).
Recipients
Second John describes the audience as "the chosen lady and her children” (1:1). This might refer to a woman named Kyria and her children. The Greek word kyria, which means "lady," can be the name of a person.
However, it is more likely that John was referring to a specific local church as “the chosen lady” and its members as “her children” (see 1 Peter 5:13). If this is the case, 2 John was probably sent to one of the churches under John's care in Asia Minor.
Meaning and Message
The message of 2 John has two main points:
Members of the Christian community must love each other (1:5). This love should follow Jesus's commands (1:6).
John warns the church about false teachers who must be exposed, avoided, and rejected.
Many of the New Testament letters were written to deal with false teaching. Several of Paul’s letters address this problem:
In Galatians, Paul warned against those who were turning away from the true good news (Galatians 1:6).
In Colossians, he opposed rules and practices that were misleading the believers (Colossians 2:16–23).
In 2 Thessalonians, he corrected wrong ideas about the Lord’s return (2 Thessalonians 2:1–3).
In 1 Timothy, he warned about deceptive spirits and false knowledge (1 Timothy 4:1; 6:20–21).
Peter wrote his second letter to counter false teachers (2 Peter 2:1–22). Jude wrote his letter for the same reason (Jude 1:3–4). John’s letters opposed dangerous teachings as well. Some of these were early forms of Gnosticism (a belief that secret knowledge could save people) and Docetism (the belief that Jesus only seemed to be human). These wrong teachings were harming many of the early churches.
2 John 1:1-3
The apostle John begins a common introduction for a personal letter.
He mentions truth four times in this short opening and once more in 1:4. John wanted his readers to know the truths about Jesus Christ, to live according to those truths, and not to be led away by false teachers.
2 John 1:1
The elder: The apostle John calls himself “the elder” to affirm his authority in the church.
To the chosen lady and her children: The Greek word kuria could be the name of a specific woman. However, it more likely refers to a local church and its members (see 1:13).
whom I love in the truth: This could mean “truly love” (see 1:5–6). More likely, it refers to the love shared by people who confess the same truth about Christ. This truth stands in contrast to the lies taught by the false teachers (1:7; see 1 John 2:21–23). John stresses the pronoun I to emphasize the difference from the false teachers, who lack love and reject the true church.
2 John 1:2
Christian love comes from understanding the truth. The truth that lives in us is more than just facts or teachings. The truth is the presence of God, who will be with us forever (see John 14:15–17).
2 John 1:3
Grace, mercy, and peace are blessings that John is confident God will give. These blessings are for people who live in truth and love and who show by their actions that they belong to God.
2 John 1:4-11
John now applies the truth and love that he mentioned in the introduction (1:1–3) to the situation of those he is writing to. Living in truth and love means maintaining unity or fellowship with true Christians (1:4–6). It also involves recognizing false teachers and choosing not to listen to or support them (1:7–11).
2 John 1:5
I urge you, dear lady: See study note on 1:1.
2 John 1:7
Many deceivers have gone out into the world: These people included the Docetists, who denied that Jesus Christ came in a real human body. John argued strongly against this false teaching in his first letter (see 1 John 4:2–3).
A false teacher is a deceiver because they mislead believers who are not careful. Such a person is also an antichrist because they turn people away from the true Christ. By using this strong apocalyptic title, antichrist, John shows how serious this false teaching is and points to the judgment that false teachers will face.
2 John 1:8
we: This word refers to the apostles and their co-workers. The apostles taught the truth and defended it against false teachings. Believers, referred to as you, are warned to guard their faith against teachings that could lead them away from God (1:9).
2 John 1:9
Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching: To run ahead means to disagree with the apostles' teachings about Jesus Christ and believe things the apostles did not teach. This is a warning to the church not to listen to the false teachers.
2 John 1:10-11
Christians should not invite any person who does not teach the truth about Christ into their homes. In the early church, Christians met for worship in homes (see Acts 2:46; 5:42; 8:3; 12:5, 12; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). Because of this, John may be referring to inviting false teachers into a meeting of the church.
This instruction may also refer to giving any type of hospitality to false teachers. Showing hospitality would support their work and help their message spread. John teaches that the only way to respond to them is to refuse to welcome them into the fellowship.
2 John 1:12
The English expression “face to face” has the same meaning as the Greek expression used here, which is literally “mouth to mouth” (see also 3 John 1:14).
so that our joy may be complete: This means that our relationship with Christ is not only a private experience. We experience the greatest joy when we live in peaceful fellowship with other believers.
2 John 1:13
The children of your elect sister: This probably refers to the sister church in Ephesus and its members. John was staying with them (see 1:1). He lived in that region and cared for several churches.
Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.