This second letter of John is written to a woman and her family. They seem to have been involved in one of the churches that John was overseeing and they had developed a strong friendship with John. In this letter John emphasises teaching about love. This is not really anything new but it has always been taught. It also reiterates the danger of denying that Jesus came in the flesh - and still comes, by his Spirit, into us.
The apostle John had seen Truth and Love first hand - he had been with Jesus. So affected was this disciple that all of his writings - the Gospel, the book of Revelation and the letters - are filled with this theme.
This is a short letter, but its message is powerful.
To emphasise the basics of following Christ - truth and love - and to warn against false teachers.
The apostle John.
The letter is written to ‘the chosen lady’ and her children - or possibly to a local church, and all believers everywhere.
The date is believed to have been probably around AD 85 – 90, from Ephesus; the same as 1 John.
The letter is being written to a woman and John is warning her of the false teachers who were becoming prevalent in some of the churches.
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (1:6)
What do we mean when we say God is love?