At a Glance
2 John in Brief
Second John is one of the shortest books in the Bible, only thirteen verses. In that space John says what the church has always had to hold together: love and truth.
- Author. The elder (2 John 1:1), the apostle John. The vocabulary and themes match 1 John and the Gospel.
- Date. About AD 85 to 95, close to the time of 1 John.
- Written To. the elect lady and her children (2 John 1:1). This may be a Christian woman and her family, or a local church and its members, since the letter ends, The children of thy elect sister greet thee (2 John 1:13). The lessons are the same either way.
- Setting. Traveling teachers moved from church to church and depended on believers for lodging and support. Some of them taught that Jesus Christ had not come in the flesh (2 John 1:7).
- Key Verse. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9).
- Key Word or Theme. Truth and love. The word truth appears five times in the first four verses.
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Further reading
For Deeper Study
- Be AlertAmazon Warren W. WiersbeA short study of 2 and 3 John, bound with 2 Peter and Jude.
- Exploring the Epistles of JohnAmazon John PhillipsA readable commentary on all three letters.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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How the Bible Fits Together
The Bible is sixty-six books written by about forty men over some fifteen hundred years, yet it tells one story of God's redemption from creation to the new earth, and its center is Jesus Christ.
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