The Book Of 2nd John
Who wrote the book of 2nd John: John the disciple
See also the introduction to the gospel of John and 1st John for more information about who he was.
When was it written: Most likely around 90 A.D.
John wrote this second letter about the same time he wrote his first letter to Christians around the known world.
In this letter, John continues his emphasis on love by reminding us that Christ’s love for us is the ultimate example of love and that we are called by God to love one another in the same way Jesus loves us.
He stresses that for Christians love is not an option. It is a command.
John’s other main concern addressed in this brief book of the Bible is for Christians to watch out for false teachers.
And because the early church (the first two centuries or so) depended primarily on missionaries and traveling evangelists, it was actually quite easy for these false teachers to deceive their way into groups of Christians learning, worshipping, and growing together.
Because John:
Was an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus
Was an active participant in the life and ministry of Jesus
Was completely ‘sold out’ for Jesus and the truth that is Christianity
he was passionate about making sure he did everything possible to prevent Christians around the world from being lured away from the truth.
Interesting Note: The letter that is the book of 2nd John has fewer chapters and verses than any book in the Bible (one chapter and thirteen verses). The book of 3rd John, however, is actually the shortest book in the Bible because in spite of the fact that it has one chapter and fourteen verses, it has fewer words.
What We Learn From The Book Of 2nd John
The truth of the Gospel will never change. (1:2)
A reminder of what love is and that we are to love. (1:5-6)
Warnings against the false teachers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God or acknowledge that he came in the flesh and lived a perfect and sinless life that ultimately ended here on earth as a sacrifice for our sins. (1:7)
Warnings not to let the false teachers (antichrists) be responsible for leading us away from God and ultimately robbing us of our salvation. (1:8-11)
The Book Of 3rd John
Who wrote the book of 3rd John: John the disciple
See also the introduction to the gospel of John and 1st John for more information about who he was.
When was it written: Most likely around 90 A.D.
This final letter from John which makes up the New Testament book of 3rd John was written near the same time as his first two letters. Unlike the previous two letters, however, this third letter is specifically addressed to one of the faithful leaders of the Church—Gaius.
John’s purpose in writing Gaius is three-fold. One: He encourages Gaius to continue in his faithfulness to God and to the Christians in the province of Asia.
Two: He thanks Gaius for being such a solid believer and for upholding the message of truth in spite of the fact that a leader in one of the other churches in Asia Minor was doing whatever he could to discredit John and those like him (meaning those who taught the truth of the Gospel). The man’s name we learn, was Diotrephes.
Diotrephes was a rogue preacher/teacher—much like more than a few televangelists in our century. These are men who allowed the notoriety, power, material wealth, sexual sins, and other sins of this world to lure them away from the truth and into false piety and teaching.
Diotrephes had allowed many of these same things to happen to him. His greed for power and control over his congregation had caused him to become extremely dictatorial—so much so that he was excommunicating people (kicking them out) who held to the true message of the Gospel and who welcomed missionaries sent by John and other church leaders.
John’s devotion to the Church and to the spreading of the Gospel made it impossible for him to sit on the sidelines and let this happen. But due to distances, the time it took to travel, and other logistical issues, John couldn’t deal with Diotrephes alone.
Gaius provided the help he needed and his letter to Gaius provides us the help we need to combat similar issues today.
What We Learn From The Book Of 2nd John
We should take joy in knowing that our brothers and sisters in Christ outside our local congregation are doing well. We also need to view these verses as God’s encouragement to us to develop and enjoy relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ beyond the local congregation. (1:3-4)
We are to extend hospitality to others—especially those who devote themselves to preaching and teaching God’s Word (missionaries). (1:8)
The ungodly actions and attitude of Diotrephes are explained and John tells Gaius that he plans to deal with it. (1:9-10)
A distinction is made between the Godly and the ungodly. Those who do good are Godly. Those who aren’t are ungodly. (1:11)
NOTE: To “…do good….” goes far beyond just doing a few good deeds or even doing good deeds on a regular basis. The ‘good deeds’ John speaks of here means to obey God’s commands in all things.
John indicates that Diotrephes is basically a good man —that he simply needs to be held accountable for his actions and brought back to the truth. (1:12)
In reading John’s words of warning and chastisement, we once again see that God will not tolerate disobedience or disrespect but that forgiveness and restoration are lovingly offered to those who are truly repentant.