2/3 John I. Introduction A. The letters of 2/3 John B. Encouragement and exhortation of believers C. Let us consider the books II. 2/3 John: The Details A. Authorship 1. Written by "the elder" (2 John 1:1, 3 John 1:1) 2. Writing style, language very consistent with authors of Gospel of John, 1 John 3. Most believe the letters written by John the Apostle 4. Some have suggested a second person, "John the elder;" no other information for such a person, no evidence for the suggestion B. Dating 1. As with all New Testament letters, no specific date 2. John the Apostle would have lived in the first century CE 3. View of dating depends on one's view of John's ministry 4. Some see John as working entirely before 70 CE; hence, 2/3 John from 60s CE 5. Some others place him around 80 6. The largest consensus over time has placed John at the end of the first century; hence, 90s CE 7. Thus, somewhere in the last half of the first century CE C. Audience 1. 2 John 1:1: The "elect lady and her children" 2. 3 John 1:1: The "beloved Gaius" 3. Is John referring to a specific woman and her family in 2 John 1:1 or a local church? 4. 3 John 1:9: clear that John intends to speak to the whole church of which Gaius is a part, writes to him individually because of complications 5. It has been assumed that these individuals/congregations are in Asia Minor based upon John being in that region (Revelation 1:9) 6. Nevertheless, John is writing to individual Christians and likely to churches to encourage them in their faith 7. Lessons applicable for us today D. Purpose 1. 2 John: Encouraging Christians to walk in love, avoid false (Gnostic) teachers 2. 3 John: Encouraging Christians to walk in truth, support workers in ministry, avoid rivalry III. 2/3 John: The Story A. Introduction (2 John 1:1-3) 1. John writes to the "elect lady" and her children; he, all those who love the truth love them; the truth abides in us and will be with us forever (2 John 1:1-2) 2. Grace, mercy, and peace to believers in love and truth from God and Jesus (2 John 1:3) B. Walking in Love (2 John 1:4-6) 1. John rejoices to hear children are walking in truth as commanded by God (2 John 1:4) 2. John now asks the dear lady not a new commandment but a commandment from the beginning: love one another (2 John 1:5) 3. Love defined: walking according to the commandments; the commandment from the beginning is to walk in it (2 John 1:6) C. Warnings About Gnostics (2 John 1:7-11) 1. John warns about the deceivers out in the world: they do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh; such ones are deceivers, antichrists (docetism; 2 John 1:7) 2. John warns the believers to be careful and not to lose what has been worked for but to gain a full reward (2 John 1:8) 3. Those who go beyond and do not remain in teaching of Christ does not have God; those who abides in the teaching has the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9) 4. Anyone who comes to believers without belief in Jesus in the flesh should not be received, no greeting given; those who greet him partake in his works (2 John 1:10-11) D. Concluding Words (2 John 1:12-13) 1. John has more to say, but would rather do so face-to-face, to make joy complete, not with pen and ink (2 John 1:12) 2. Children of elect sister greet them (2 John 1:13) E. Introduction, Encouragement (3 John 1:1-4) 1. John writes to "beloved Gaius," whom John loves "in truth" (3 John 1:1) 2. John prays that all goes well with Gaius and his health; he rejoiced to hear from fellow Christians testifying to Gaius' truth and that he walks in truth; John's greatest desire for believers to walk in truth (3 John 1:2-4) F. Concern For Workers in the Gospel (3 John 1:5-8) 1. John writes to commend the Christians of verse 3 to Gaius: they may be strangers, but they testified to your love to all in the church where John is, and it is a faithful thing to help them; Gaius will do well to prepare them for their journey in a manner worthy of God (3 John 1:5-6) 2. These believers are workers for the Kingdom: they have gone out for the sake of the Name, have taken nothing from the "Gentiles," and thus they should be supported, for those supporting them are fellow workers in the truth (3 John 1:7-8) G. Good and Evil (3 John 1:9-12) 1. John had written to the church, but message intercepted by Diotrephes; he likes to put himself first, does not respect authority of John (3 John 1:9) 2. If John comes he will make it known what Diotrephes is doing: talking with wicked words against John, refuses to welcome faithful Christians, and casts out from the church those who would receive them (3 John 1:10) 3. Gaius to imitate good and not evil; those doing good from God, those doing evil has not seen God (3 John 1:11) 4. John commends Demetrius: he has a good testimony from everyone, from the truth itself, and John adds his commendation, and Gaius knows that it is true (3 John 1:12) H. Concluding Words (3 John 1:13-14 [15]) 1. John has much to write, but would rather not with pen and ink (3 John 1:13) 2. John hopes to see Gaius and they will talk face-to-face (3 John 1:14) 3. Peace to Gaius; the friends greet him; he is to greet every one of the friends (3 John 1:14c-e or 3 John 1:15, depending on version) IV. 2/3 John: Christology A. Jesus Christ as Son of the Father (2 John 1:3) B. Jesus as truly human 1. 2 John 1:7-11 2. John's specific concern the docetic teachings of Gnostics, a few others 3. Docetism: the idea that Jesus was not truly in the flesh, but just seemed (Greek dokeo) to be human 4. Since a lot of Greeks could not imagine God taking on flesh, an "acceptable" belief for them 5. John makes it clear that such is intolerable: Jesus most certainly came in the flesh, and those who deny it are deceivers, antichrists, and true believers should not partake in their deeds! C. "Doctrine of Christ" (2 John 1:9) 1. Matter of disputation: is the "doctrine of Christ" the teachings about Christ (His Person and nature) or teachings of Christ (the Gospel, realities of Kingdom)? 2. In context, it regards the truths about Jesus Christ: if one does not accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, God the Son, truly flesh and truly God, one does not have God: one has clearly fallen away 3. But it is not an absolute that mere acceptance of those things mean that one truly has the Father and Son: one must still follow the commandments (2 John 1:6) 4. Galatians 1:6-9, exhortations to obedience like Romans 6:16-23, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 2:3-6, etc., do well at showing the need to remain within God's standards in all things 5. It is taking this verse out of its context to assert that it refers to any teaching that Jesus gave; in context, its reference is the nature of Christ V. 2/3 John: The Kingdom A. "The elect lady" (2 John 1:1-2, 13): the church? B. Believers and the truth 1. Those who love the truth love believers standing in truth (2 John 1:1) 2. Truth abides with believers presently and forever (2 John 1:2) 3. Grace, mercy, peace with us in truth (2 John 1:3) 4. Joy when believers walk in truth (2 John 1:4, 3 John 1:3-4) 5. Believers love one another in truth (3 John 1:1) 6. Supporting those promoting the truth indicates fellow working in the truth (3 John 1:8) C. Believers and love 1. Grace, mercy, and peace with us in love (2 John 1:3) 2. Believers to love one another: not a new command, but from the beginning (2 John 1:5) 3. Love demands the following of God's commands (2 John 1:6) 4. Believers love one another in truth (3 John 1:1) D. Believers must watch themselves lest they lose "what they have worked for" so that they can receive a "full reward" (2 John 1:8): certainly sounds like salvation! E. Believers must not even greet false teachers, for greeting them is partaking in their wickedness (2 John 1:11)! F. Supporting the Work of God 1. Believers are to assist in helping those who promote God's word (3 John 1:5-8) 2. When doing so they are fellow workers in God's truth (v. 8) 3. Those who sacrifice for the work of God ought to be supported (vv. 7-8) G. Diotrephes: the bad example 1. Believers to learn how not to conduct themselves from Diotrephes (3 John 1:9-10) 2. Puts himself first when he should put others first (3 John 1:9 vs. Philippians 2:1-4) 3. Does not respect authority when believers should respect authorities placed by God (3 John 1:9 vs. Hebrews 13:17) 4. Speaks wicked words when he should speak words to encourage (3 John 1:10 vs. Ephesians 4:29) 5. Refuses to welcome fellow Christians when he should be of benefit to them (3 John 1:10 vs. 3 John 1:6-8) 6. He casts out Christians who seek to be of benefit to fellow Christians when he is the one who should be cast out (3 John 1:10 vs. Galatians 5:19-21) H. Believers to imitate good and not evil: to know God is to do good (3 John 1:11) I. Believers as friends (1 John 3:14de/15) VI. 2/3 John: Conclusion A. The letters of 2/3 John B. Encouragement to believers to love and stay in the truth 1. Have nothing to do with false teachers 2. Assist those who work in the truth 3. Imitate good, walk in love and truth, and avoid evil C. Let us walk in the truth in love! D. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist (2 John 1:7). As the Gospel spread many among the Greeks began promoting a distorted message that made more sense in the Greek mindset. In such a view Christ only appeared human, but was not really human. John exposes this for the dangerous perversion it is: to deny Jesus' humanity is to deny His birth, death, and resurrection, and thus the whole of the Christian faith. Let us affirm the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and be in Christ! 2: Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward (2 John 1:8). John's message does not just involve them "out there"; he is quite concerned for those to whom he writes. They must be careful to maintain the truth of God in Christ lest they lose their standing before God! The goal is the full reward of the resurrection of life. Let us strive to obtain it to God's glory! 3: Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God (3 John 1:5-6). John commends Gaius for showing hospitality and providing benefits for fellow Christians even if he did not originally know them well. The ability of Christians to love and take care of each other testifies to the truth of the Gospel. Let us take care of each other and honor God! 4: Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God (3 John 1:11). After speaking about the selfish ambition of Diotrephes, John warns Christians to imitate what is good, not what is evil. Good is from God; how can we say we are of God if we do not act according to God's purposes? If our lives look little different from people in the world, how can God be a part of that or glorified by it?