2 John 1

KJV · Chapter 1/1

¹The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

²For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

³Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

⁵And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

⁶And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

⁷For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

⁸Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

⁹Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

¹¹For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

¹²Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

¹³The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

John, calling himself "the elder," writes to an "elect lady and her children," urging them to walk in love and truth, and warning against deceivers who deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. He asks that these false teachers not be received or greeted.

Explanation

The "elect lady" mentioned may refer either to a specific Christian woman and her family or, symbolically, to a local church and its members — scholars disagree on this interpretation. The central theme, echoed from 1 John, is the warning against false teachers who denied Jesus' real incarnation, a doctrinal error considered serious enough to justify not hosting them or giving them a formal welcome, a practice that in that culture implied recognition and support of their ministry. This instruction may seem harsh, but it reflects a concern to protect small, vulnerable communities from destructive teachings spread by traveling religious figures. Today's practical application is to balance hospitality with discernment, especially toward those who teach contrary to the essential foundations of the faith.

Fun facts

This is one of the two shortest letters in the New Testament (along with 3 John), having only 13 verses in a single chapter, and it is addressed to a specific person or community rather than a broad audience.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 John 1:1The address “unto the elect lady and her children” is ambiguous in the text itself: it may refer to a specific woman and her family, or be a figurative way of speaking about a local church and its members — both readings have supporters among scholars, and the letter never settles the question.
2 John 1:2Explains the reason for the love mentioned in the previous verse: it is not a passing feeling, it is based on the “truth” that already dwells in believers and will remain with them forever.
2 John 1:3The letter's greeting: it brings together grace, mercy, and peace, coming from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, conditioned on living “in truth and love” — the two central themes of this short letter.
2 John 1:4John expresses joy at learning that at least some of the children of this “lady” are living according to the truth, fulfilling the commandment received from the Father.
2 John 1:5Makes the letter's central request, to live in mutual love, reinforcing that this is not a new commandment, but the same one taught since the beginning of the Christian faith.
2 John 1:6Defines love in practical terms: it is not a feeling, it is obeying God's commandments — the same teaching repeated in 1 John about walking according to what was heard from the beginning.
2 John 1:7Repeating the definition of “antichrist” already used in John's first letter, the text here focuses specifically on deceivers who do not confess that “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh” — the same concern about denying Christ's real humanity.
2 John 1:8Warns of the practical danger of welcoming the deceivers mentioned in the previous verse: risking the loss of what has already been built in the faith, instead of receiving the full reward.
2 John 1:9Defines who does, or does not, have a genuine relationship with God: whoever departs from the teaching about Christ loses that relationship with the Father and the Son; whoever continues in that teaching keeps both.
2 John 1:10The instruction not to receive into one's home, or even greet, anyone who arrives without this doctrine deals with itinerant teachers who traveled between Christian communities preaching different teachings — hosting someone, at that time, also meant financing and supporting their mission, so the recommendation was practical, not just a matter of courtesy.
2 John 1:11Explains the logic behind the previous verse's severe instruction not to host false teachers: hosting them meant, in practice, supporting and financing their work, making one complicit in the error.
2 John 1:12Preferring to speak “face to face” rather than write with paper and ink reflects the limits of written communication at the time — letters were seen as an incomplete resource, reserved for when a personal meeting was not possible.
2 John 1:13Closes the letter with a personal greeting from the children of the sister of this “elect lady” — reinforcing the reading that the letter may be addressed to either a person or a community.

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