1 “To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”
2 John 1:1-3 (NKJV)
A Letter You Almost Skipped
Most of us have flipped past 2 John without stopping. It is one chapter, thirteen verses, and it sits near the back of the Bible like a short note tucked in a drawer.
But I have found that God often puts His most practical help in the smallest places. This little letter was written by an old man who had walked with Jesus for most of a lifetime, and he wrote it to someone he loved. I think you will find he writes to us, too.
One question that has always challenged me is this:
Who Is the Chosen Lady?
The question comes up every time: was John writing to a real woman, or is “the elect lady” a picture of a church?
Good, godly men have landed on both sides, and I do not think we need to fight over it. But I will tell you where I come down, and why.
I believe this: John wrote to a real Christian woman and her children. Here is my reasoning.
First, the words read like a letter to a person. When Scripture does not tell me to read something as a picture, I take it as it is written. That is how Baptists have always approached the Word of God. We start with the plain meaning and let the text lead us.
Second, the closing says, “The children of your elect sister greet you” (v. 13). That sounds like family, a nephew or niece sending love across the miles.
Third, the whole letter has a home in it. John speaks of receiving someone “into your house” (v. 10). In those days, believers met in homes. This woman likely opened her door to the church, and that is exactly what a Baptist would expect to find. The New Testament church was a local body of believers, gathered, taught, and sent out from ordinary places.
Now, some of the early Christians read this as a letter to a congregation, and that view is not wicked or foolish. It does no harm to the message. Either way, the truth stands.
It Reaches the Church Either Way
Here is what settles in my heart. A letter like this was not read quietly in a corner. It was read aloud to everyone who gathered in her home.
So whether the lady was one woman or a whole congregation, the word came to the church. And what it says is for every local church today, from the big steeple downtown to the little white building at the end of a gravel road.
Truth and Love, Together
Look at how John opens. He says he loves her “in the truth.” Then he says “truth” again and again. Then he closes his greeting with “truth and love.”
John will not let us split these two apart.
Some folks try to have truth without love. They know every verse, but they leave a trail of hurt behind them. Others try to have love without truth. They are kind and warm, but they will not say what the Bible says when it matters.
Jesus never did either one. Scripture calls Him “full of grace and truth.” He wept over Jerusalem, and He also said hard things plainly. As Baptists, we say we believe the Bible is the Word of God, true and trustworthy. John reminds us that believing it should make us gentler, not harder. The more truth we hold, the more love we owe.
Walking in the Commandment
In verses 4 through 6, John tells her he was glad to find her children walking in truth. Then he gives the simple instruction: “that we love one another.”
That is not a new teaching. It is the same word Jesus gave in the upper room. Love is not a feeling that floats in and out. John says, “This is love, that we walk according to his commandments.” Love shows up in how we live.
If you are a parent or grandparent, notice what made John glad. It was not that the children were successful. It was that they were walking in the truth. There is no greater joy for a parent in the faith than that.
An Open Door and a Guarded Door
Then the letter takes a turn. In verses 7 through 11, John warns about deceivers who deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. He tells her not to welcome them into her house or help them spread their teaching.
That sounds harsh to us. This is the same woman John praised for her love. Is he telling her to be unkind?
No. He is telling her to guard what matters most. A person can be kind to everyone and still refuse to hand the pulpit, or the church door, to someone who is teaching about Jesus what is not true. Who Jesus is, God in the flesh, the Son of the Father, is the center of everything we believe. If that is lost, nothing else holds.
Baptists have a long habit of testing teaching by Scripture. We do not do it because we enjoy a fight. We do it because we love the people sitting in the pews. A shepherd who loves his sheep keeps the gate.
Hospitality and discernment are not enemies. A good home has a welcome mat and a latch on the door.
For the One Who Is Weary
Maybe you have read all this and felt tired. Maybe you feel like you are not loving enough, or not strong enough to hold your ground. Maybe you have begun to wonder if you are failing.
Look again at verse 3. Before John asks anything of her, he gives her a gift: “Grace, mercy, and peace be with you . . .” He starts with what God gives, not with what we must do.
Grace, mercy, and peace come “. . . from the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father.” They are not earned by getting everything right. They are with you, and the truth “shall be with us for ever.”
You are not walking this road by yourself. Jesus still cares about you, and He has not let go.
Think It Over
- Which do I lean toward by nature, truth without love, or love without truth? What would it look like to hold both this week?
- Is there someone I need to love in a practical way, not just in words?
- Who is teaching me and my family about Jesus? Does it line up with the Word?
- Where do I need to open my door? Where do I need a latch?
Prayer:
Father, thank You for a little letter with a big message. Teach me to love in the truth and to stand in the truth with love. Give me a welcoming heart and a watchful one. When I am worn down, remind me that grace, mercy, and peace are already mine in Jesus. Make me glad, like John, to see those I love walking in Your truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
One Thought to Carry Today
Truth and love belong in the same house. Keep them both there.
