2 John, Part 2: Watch Yourselves

2 John 1:7-13 (BSB)

We are in a two-part series on the book of 2 John. Last week, we looked at the first half of this letter, which was addressed from “The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—,” and we saw how it is very similar to his other two letters. We concluded that, based on his other writings, it seems most likely this “chosen lady” was the leader of a house church, and the “children” are the people whom she is helping to grow in faith.

But before we read the second half, let’s look again at how the first half ended, by reading verses 5-6: “And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.”

John began his letter by urging this lady to walk in love, but as we’ll see, he seems to have a pressing reason in writing. Let’s read the rest, and then we will go back through it one verse at a time.

2 John 1:7-13 says:

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 

8 Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.

9 Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. 

11 Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.

12 I have many things to write to you, but I would prefer not to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come and speak with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

As you can see, this is a very brief letter, but it’s not short on purpose. He needed to warn this lady and her “children” about deceivers who had gone out, denying that Jesus Christ had truly come to earth in the flesh. That’s his reason for writing. Now that we know his reason, why do you think he began the letter by reminding her that she must walk in love?

If you remember John’s first letter, he explains that the only way to truly walk in love is by walking in truth. That means we are not to blindly accept and support whatever ideas or actions people are thinking or doing. And in this letter, he began by telling this lady that he loves her in truth because of the truth that abides in him and with all true believers. All of that means we can only properly love others when we love them in truth and love.

It seems clear to me that John is not simply writing to a woman and her literal children, urging them to walk in truth and love. Given the nature of early churches, which often met in homes, and John’s consistent use of referring to believers as children, John is urging this woman and her congregation to continue in truth and love by making sure that they do not fall victim to these deceivers he warns them about.

Because it would not make much sense for John to be writing this to an unknown woman and her family, that’s partly why some translators and scholars think that rather being written to an individual woman, the “lady” must be referring to a church. But I agree with Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, which explains: “The letter was addressed to an individual, and not to a church. If it had been to a particular church, it would have been specified, for this is the uniform mode in the New Testament. If it were addressed to the church at large, it is in the highest degree improbable that John should have departed from the style of address in his First Epistle; improbable in every way that he should have adopted another style so mystical and unusual in a plain prose composition. It is only in poetry, in prophecy, in compositions where figurative language abounds, that the church is represented as a female at all; and it is wholly improbable that John, at the outset of a brief Epistle, should have adopted this appellation.”

Barnes even goes on to say: “It is probable that the name of this lady was designed to be specified, and that it was Kyria (Κυρία Kuria). This, indeed, is not absolutely certain; but the Greek will readily bear this, and it accords best with apostolic usage to suppose that the name of the person to whom the letter was addressed would be designated.”

Then, as to the “children” who are mentioned, we simply need to remember that in John’s first epistle, he consistently refers to the believers he’s writing to as children, fathers, or young people. Even in his third letter, addressed to a man named Gaius, he also refers to believers as children. In both of those letters, it is understood that the word “children” means spiritual offspring, not physical progeny.

These three letters need to be studied as a group, because it’s only if we remember John’s first letter that these other two make sense. After all, this letter to Kyria is essentially a shortened version of 1 John, and the whole point of that letter is the same point he’s making here. The issues he addresses in the first are the same concerns in this one, too. I’m sure this is because those problems hadn’t gone away, and because God’s instructions on how we are to behave as believers have not changed, which is exactly something that John himself says. The commandment to love one another is the same commandment John learned directly from Jesus.

Today, not only must we walk in love in order to follow God, but the dangers and challenges we face are similar. Which leads us back to the reason John is writing—the reason why we all must be careful to walk in truth and love. So, now, with all that in mind, let’s read that reason again, picking up our text for today. In verse 7 he says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

This is very similar to what John said in 1 John 4:2-3, isn’t it? He had explained that “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”

Back too, in 1 John, he mentioned that some people had left the truth and had split off from fellowship with himself and the others. He said in 1 John 2:18-19, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.” These people who “went out,” had they now made their way to this woman’s home church? What’s interesting, too, is that his third letter is also dealing with a similar situation.

Whether or not it’s these same people who are getting around causing problems at all the churches, the problem is the same. That’s why John warns them in verse 8, saying, “Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.”

It’s worth noting that now, unlike earlier, the pronouns are plural, so he’s addressing Kyria and the “children.” He’s telling them to watch themselves so they do not stray away from the proper teaching about Jesus. John doesn’t want them to “lose what we have worked for,” he says.

John could be talking about a couple of different things here. He could mean losing the positive ministry that they all had worked so hard at, or he could mean that they could lose their belief in the truth. I think he means the latter because of the added warning about losing their reward. He’s telling them to watch themselves so they may be fully rewarded.

Some people get uncomfortable when the idea of rewards is talked about in sermons. But it doesn’t need to be complicated. The Bible tells us that we are rewarded in eternity for what we did or didn’t do during our time on earth. It doesn’t have anything to do with our salvation—which is a gift of grace through faith which we cannot earn—but it has to do with extra rewards such as crowns, places of honor, or varying responsibilities in eternity.

For two examples, look at what Revelation 22:12 says: “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done.” And in Matthew 16:27, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.”

But more than simply warning them not to lose their possible rewards, I think John is also warning them not to stray from the truth of who Jesus is. If they do that, they could lose their greatest reward, which is salvation. I say that because look at what he says in verse 9: “Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

If they run ahead and start believing false doctrines, they could stray so far from the truth that they do not have God. They must not do that. They must be careful to remain in Jesus’ teaching.

Doesn’t that sound like John is warning them about losing their salvation? Just thinking about it logically, if anyone adopts new beliefs and no longer believes Jesus came to earth, died on the cross and rose again—thereby rejecting Jesus as being the Son of God—then it stands to reason that person no longer has salvation, for they no longer have faith.

This is certainly a warning for all people. For as Jesus said about Himself, in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” That is why anyone who does not believe this “does not have God.” And whoever does believe this “has both the Father and the Son.” The only way to the Father is through believing in Jesus.

Can you see why John is spending so much time writing about this? It is not a matter of doctrinal differences among Christians. This is the foundational teaching of Christianity. This is what makes someone a Christian. And yet, obviously, at the time of John’s letter, there were people saying they were followers of God but were denying that the Son of God—the Messiah—had come. This was the same issue that plagued Jesus while He was on earth, of course. This is what led to His arrest and His crucifixion. The religious leaders wanted Him killed for blasphemy. They did not believe His claims that He was the Son of God. These people must have still been denying that Jesus was who He said He was. They also must not have believed that He rose from the dead.

What is interesting to me is that today the issue isn’t one of denying that Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh. It is a documented historical fact that Jesus existed as a man on the earth. The current false doctrine, spread by deceivers and antichrists, claims He was only a man. They don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God, fully God and fully man. But like the false beliefs of John’s day, if someone today believes that Jesus is just a man, and denies that He is the living Son of God, eternal and co-equal to God and the Holy Spirit as a member of the trinity, then they do not believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. And if they do not believe as Jesus said we must, then they do not have God.

It was a clear line in the sand then, and it is the same now, because truth does not change. It is eternal. It is still the test of whether someone is of God or is not of God. Sadly, all the time I see people trying to scuff this line out of the sand. They want to make exceptions. Mormons, for example, want to be included as a branch of Christianity, and it seems a lot of Christians want to include them. They partner with them on projects and watch their TV shows. Yet despite what they claim, Mormon theology differs fundamentally from Biblical Christianity. Muslims, as another example, consider Jesus to be just a prophet, and even though they do not want to be included in Christianity, the most recent Popes have wanted to include them by partnering with them and calling them followers of the true God. Is this okay? Am I just being too exclusive when I should be accepting and inclusive of people’s different beliefs? Are we all just supposed to set aside our differences and hold hands around the common beliefs we do have? Maybe this was a question this woman had asked John. Maybe he saw this happening. Or maybe others were giving weight and validity to these deceptive ideas.

Whatever was happening, John addresses exactly what believers are to do about those who claim to follow God and yet deny that Jesus is the Son of God. He says in verse 10, “If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.”

Clearly, we are not to fellowship with those who claim to follow God but do not believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Now, again, if this letter was simply written to a lady and her literal children, this doesn’t make all that much sense. I think this is further evidence that her home was being used as a home church. After all, why else would these false teachers bother to visit her?

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains: “If there come any unto you - Any professed teacher of religion. There can be no doubt that she to whom this Epistle was written was accustomed to entertain such teachers.”

So, John is warning Kyria: if anyone comes to you and claims to be part of God’s family but does not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then do not receive him—do not let him present his false teaching.

Then, in typical John fashion, he repeats himself for emphasis in verse 11 and adds, “Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.”

Do not even give him a greeting. Can that be right? Aren’t we supposed to love everybody and welcome everybody and anybody? Is John really telling her not to even give a greeting to someone who visits them? Yes, because John says, by giving a greeting we “share” in their evil deeds. We participate in the evil. It is evil because this deception is not of God, it is of the devil, and if we give a greeting or welcome them in, then we are okaying their false beliefs. We are giving their ideas a stamp of approval.

Now I want to point out that John uses the common word for house, and not church, but if we understand who Kyria is, we understand that John is talking about her house church. So, if someone claims to be a Christian but denies the truth about Jesus, then that person should not be welcomed into fellowship at church. Certainly, they shouldn’t be allowed to teach at the church. But perhaps by being denied fellowship, they will repent and come to true faith. The point is, we should not turn a blind eye to their deception. We need to guard which doctrines we allow into our churches.

Then John concludes the letter with two more verses. Verse 12 says, “I have many things to write to you, but I would prefer not to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come and speak with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

I think this verse is more evidence that John is writing to the leader of a house church, and not simply to a woman and her believing children. Why would he need to tell a Christian woman so many more things? But for him to want to meet with a leader and her congregation makes far more sense. The word “you” in this verse is back to singular and not plural, by the way, and it is nearly identical to what he wrote in 1 John 1:4, which says, “We write these things so that our joy may be complete.”

Like most important topics of discussion, it is far better to talk to someone in person than by letter. Just as in today’s modern life, in person is usually better than text or emails for personal matters, so we don’t misinterpret the motivation behind the words. For just as he began the letter speaking multiple times about the importance of truth and love, and here he mentions joy being made complete, we must remember that this letter is not written to condemn anyone. It is written as a guide to keep believers from falling away from the truth. All of it, like all of the Bible, is written so that we might know God and not be lost to false teachings. And all of it, like all of Scripture, is ultimately an expression of God’s great love and care for us. So too, as we communicate truth to all people, we must do so in a spirit of truth and love.

Then, John concludes in verse 13 by saying, “The children of your elect sister send you greetings.” This ending is also consistent with his style. He concluded his first letter by saying, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

Now, in the same way that John wasn’t writing to his literal children telling them to avoid idols, and he’s not writing to Kyria’s literal children in this letter, I also do not think he’s referring to the children of her literal sister. It is common throughout the New Testament for the writers to refer to fellow believers as their brother or sister. For example, in Romans 16:1-2, Paul refers to Phoebe as his sister. He says, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.” No one assumes Paul is speaking about his literal sister.

I think it’s also worth pointing out that sister Phoebe was commended as a servant of the church in Cenchrea, and the word translated as servant is the Greek word diakonos and it means, “Servant, Minister, Deacon.” It’s the same word that is used in 1 Timothy 3:8 which says, “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.”

Phoebe is proof that women were serving in churches, as well as hosting churches in their homes. As just two more examples, we see in 1 Corinthians 16:19 that “Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.” And Colossians 4:15 says, “Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nympha and the church that meets at her house.”

All that tells me that this second letter John has written is indeed addressed to a woman, who may simply be named Kyria, and the people who meet as a church in her home. And the fact that he addresses her specifically and wants to talk further with her makes me certain that she functioned as the lead servant of this church as well. 

But we can and should apply this directive to all believers. Even if our house is not a home church, it still means we are not to welcome false doctrines into our lives. That means we should not fellowship with those who claim to follow God but deny that Jesus is the Christ. We too must be on guard against deceivers and antichrists. When we let people into our homes and lives, we become influenced by them. We become at risk of trying to scuff out these clearly drawn lines. That’s why John warns that we need to watch out and be careful not to lose the truth. He says, do not even give a greeting. If we shouldn’t even greet them, then for sure we shouldn’t drop our guard and fellowship with them. If we do, then we are giving approval to their false doctrines and participating in the deception.

Instead, let us apply these instructions of John. Let us walk in the truth, just as the Father has commanded us, and love one another, walking according to His commandments. That way we won’t run ahead and leave the teachings of Jesus behind. But we will hold to the truth, walking in love.

Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You for loving us. Please help us, by Your Holy Spirit, to hold fast to truth and love. Help us to be wise and discerning and help us to love people like You do. Please help us to follow all of Your commands. Thank You for Your grace and mercy as we seek to follow You. We ask all this in Jesus’ name, amen.