purpose of 2 john
It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. John's two-fold purpose for writing his Gospel. It was written to encourage all Christians not to lose focus of Jesus Christ and to warn against persistent heresy. The book of 2nd John is a General Epistle (Apostolic Letter). When two parties know the truth, love comes naturally. Lessons from Passover One (A.D. 29) 1. Author, Date, and Recipients. Purpose of Writing: The Book of 2 John is an urgent plea that the readers of John’s letter should show their love for God and His son Jesus by obeying the commandment to love each other and live their lives in obedience to the Scriptures. Some also make a kind of ink by boiling and straining the lees of wine." 1 The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth —and not I only, but also all who know the truth — 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:. What does John chapter 2 mean? One is joyful and quiet. (See Authorship of the Johannine works.) John began his second epistle proclaiming his love for “the chosen lady and her children,” a love he shared with those who know the truth (2 John 1:1). It’s only one chapter long, and has only thirteen verses. John 15:2 . When you know the truth, obedience comes naturally. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Purpose and Audience John specifically states his purpose in 20:31, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." 2 John 1:12 STU XRF TSK ... "For this purpose they have built furnaces which do not allow the smoke to escape. John wrote his second epistle to show his appreciation of the faithfulness of this "lady and … These cookies do not store any personal information. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The auhtor of 1 John set several things straight in his first epistle. Logos Bible Software 9 review: Do you REALLY need it? First, he writes to commend and encourage his beloved co-worker, Gaius , in his ministry of hospitality to the itinerant messengers who were going from place to place to preach the Gospel of Christ. Here is a summary and commentary on First John chapter two. Introduction. Early Christian writers recognized John as the author, and there are clear similarities with the first epistle. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Quick outline of 2 John Walk in truth (1–4) Love others and obey God (5–6) Beware false teachers (7–11) Look forward to a visit (12–13) John loves those who know the truth, because the truth “abides” in them (2 Jn 1–2). by Jeffrey Kranz | Aug 4, 2013 | Bible Books. The apostle addressed the letter “to the chosen lady and her children,” a mysterious phrase that has been much debated (2 John 1:1). It would seem that it was addressed to some John did not identify himself by name in this letter, but he did adopt the term “elder” for himself (2 John 1:1). There are three ways that we can use the word ‘*elder’. He’d told the churches how to know if they were of the faith, he’d dressed down the false teachings that were making their rounds, and he’d strongly urged the Christians to love one another. The Apostle John begins with the purpose of writing this letter by stating, “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. This book was among the latest of all written books in the New Testament, John having written all of them. John the son of Zebedee probably wrote his three NT letters no later than the 90s a.d. John’s encouragement, then, was not simply to love but to love others within the limits that truth allows. This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. The Gospel of John, the three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation were probably the last of the canonical Scriptures to be written, probably during the years AD 85-95. Your browser does not support JavaScript. To show us how to obtain life through His Name. Our actions, whether obedient or disobedient, have ripple effects far beyond our own limited vision of a circumstance. What is the purpose of the 2nd Amendment?? In II John, the apostle, wrote to warn believers about false teachers. I John was written to combat false teaching concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. Is it, as some claim, put into the Constitution to ensure that people would be able to hunt? The word translated sign is one of four words used for miracles in the New Testament. The second chapter of John covers two events. John’s gospel confirmed that Jesus was YHVH of the Jews (John … We always took class time to discuss the assigned book. John refers to this lady’s “chosen sister” at the end of this letter (2 Jn 13), which may be code for a greeting from the children of another woman, or members of another church or group of churches. This echoes the teaching of Jesus in John’s gospel, where the Lord told His followers, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). In what ways might your obedience or disobedience impact those in your immediate circle of relationships? Purpose. The obvious truth is that “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have … The commandment that God gave isn’t anything new: “love one another” (2 Jn 5). Each localchurch had its leaders who were the ‘elders’. In particular, we zeroed in on the purpose of the book. In other words, those who walk in the truth should be people who love others. John 2:12 is the centerpiece in an arch binding Cana and Jerusalem. We’ll call the author “John” for this article.). Purpose of Writing: John’s purpose in writing this third epistle is threefold. John chooses these signs to serve his immediate purpose. 2:8–3:22.John also wrote the Fourth Gospel and the book of Revelation.. Theme of 1 John The epistle of 2 John addresses the "elect lady," and there is speculation regarding who this lady was. However, modern scholars have argued that Eusebius made this conclusion based on a misinterpretation of a statement from Papias and a desire to invent a second John to be the author of Revelation . Passover One (A.D. 29) Jesus is Lord of the temple. Wait… There Were How Many Herods?! My small group and I have been greatly blessed, and I want to let you know and thank you for inspiring us to "strengthen our grip," even in this current time where things seem to have only gotten worse. Written by John the Elder to house church believers, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John echo the gospel of John. Our love is dependent on our obedience. The Purpose of John’s Purpose (1 John #2) While serving as a seminary Professor of Homiletics, I assigned sermons to students based upon texts from various books of the Bible. 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. John lived to a great age and was the last living apostles of the Lord. However, the earliest church tradition from the second century on testified in unison that this letter and its companion, 3 John, were written by the apostle, not by a mysterious and unknown elder. This letter repeats many themes from John’s first letter, and Third John reflects these themes as well. He would rather discuss this and more in person, so he lets the audience know that he hopes to visit soon (2 Jn 12). (2 Jn 6). We can say with confidence that the Apostle John is the author of the Book of 1st John. Verse 23 breaks the pattern—or at least interrupts the pattern emerging from the relationship of 2:1-11 to 2:12 to 2:13-22. Here it means that the writer is a leader in the church. J That John, the beloved disciple, was the author of the Second and Third Epistles, as of the First Epistle, appears from IRENÆUS [Against Heresies, 1.16.3], who quotes 2 John 1:10 2 John 1:11 [3.16.8], he quotes 2 John 1:7 in First John. (Who is this elder? Because truth, love, and obedience should be a part of everyday life, and the church needs to understand how. He’d told them about truth, love, and obedience—now he writes to tell them what to do about it. All rights reserved.Site by Ascendio, Insight's New Testament Handbook: A Practical Look at Each Book, Insight’s Handbook of New Testament Backgrounds: Key Customs from Each Book, God's Masterwork, Volume Seven: The Final Word—A Survey of Hebrews–Revelation, View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Second John. O f the four gospels, John’s gospel presents Jesus as God most forcefully. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Second John is the fourth of the General Epistles (or Catholic Letters), the writings of apostles to the church at large. The church has debated this for centuries, but traditionally it’s attributed to John, the son of Zebedee. It could mean that the people respected him as amature man. This early heresy, called Docetism, required the strongest possible response from John. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. As a cover letter, 2 John supplies the typical general greeting missing 1 John and summarizes the themes of the letter. He was a leader in the early church, and he probably wrote his documents after most of the other New Testament books were already written. They should beware of teachers who do not acknowledge Jesus’ human life and who deviate from the things He taught (2 Jn 8–9). Greetings (1 … (1a) A purpose of John in writing this letter: that you may not sin. a. Please note, our website requires JavaScript to be supported. In 2 John 1:1, the “elder” is the Apostle John who was the last surviving apostle and an old man when he wrote this letter. He was a leader in the early church, and he probably wrote his documents after most of the other New Testament books were already written. Moses: The Old Testament’s Greatest Prophet, Who Was King Solomon? 2. In addition to this one, John is commonly credited with writing two other New Testament letters, a Gospel, and possibly the prophetic book of Revelation. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Or is it something else? The Beginner’s Guide. These things I write to you, that you may not sin: 1 John 1:8 makes it clear that sin is a fact (at least an occasional fact) in the life of the Christian. Who Was Herod? The kind most commended is made in this way from pine-wood: it is mixed with soot from the furnaces or baths; and this they use for writing on rolls. 2. A sure sign of obedience to God is love for His church, and a sure sign of love is obedience to God (2 Jn 6). Christ's courage, 2. There is a purpose for inventing the printing press and there is a purpose for creating the mobile phone, the computer and the internet. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of presenting truth without love. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Our theme for today’s sermon is “understanding God’s purpose”. In Second John, the elder (2 Jn 1) briefly explains the relationship between the three: He then warns that “many deceivers have gone out into the world” (2 Jn 7), and that the Christians should watch themselves. There has been some debate about whether an author named Some believe it was a prominent believer in the local church, or perhaps all Christians. John writes this second letter to “the chosen lady and her children”—which may refer to a particular church leader, or perhaps metaphorically to a local church or group of churches. The emphasis when this word is used is on what the miracle signifies, hence it is seen as a “sign” of something very significant; in this case, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Since Gnostic teachers also relied on this practice (see note on 3Jo 1-5), 2 John was written to urge discernment in supporting traveling teachers; otherwise, someone might unintentionally contribute to the propagation of heresy rather than truth. 2 John 1-3. But the writer was an *elder overall the churches in a large area.Much of this letter is like John’s first letter. With this letter’s thematic similarity to 1 John, it is best to suggest that John wrote from Patmos in about AD 90. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. So the apostle warned the true believers away from these false teachers. Audience. We who are Reformed can be especially guilty of using the doctrines of grace as a club with which we attack people instead of lovingly sharing God’s sovereignty with our Arminian friends. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist” (John 1:7), therefore “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (1st John 1:9). Truth and Love Devotional. From the reports he had received, he understood that these believers were following the teachings of Christ. Second John reminds us not only of the dangers of falling away from the truth but also of the importance of making obedience a priority in our lives—for ourselves and for those most important to us. A common theme of the gospel of John is contrast, and the two stories in this chapter are very different. Listen to Chuck Swindoll’s overview of Second John in his audio message from the Classic series God’s Masterwork. The Purpose of Pruning. John did not identify himself by name in this letter, but he did adopt the term “elder” for himself (2 John 1:1). There has been some debate about whether an author named John the Elder wrote this letter (as well as 3 John, which is addressed the same way) or if John the apostle was using a different title for himself. There is a purpose for inventing electricity. John offered little in the way of detail in the short letter we call 2 John. The Second Epistle of John, often referred to as Second John and often written 2 John or II John, is a book of the New Testament attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the other two epistles of John, and the Gospel of John (though this is disputed). B. In fact, an apostle using the term “elder” for himself was not at all unprecedented—Peter did that very thing in his first epistle (1 Peter 5:1). Just as in the Book of 1st John, John is concerned with false teachings creeping into the church. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. John 2:23 begins with the adverb "when" (Greek, hos). Is it, as the left claims, to ensure that the States have the ability to arm their National Guard troops? Purpose: Most of the New Testament letters were written to address specific problems. 1. However, John did not leave love undefined but described it as walking “according to His commandments” (2 John 1:6). Start studying Bible 9/10- Chapter 2: The Purpose of John's Gospel. 2. To cause us to believe that Jesus is the Christ and 2. Christ's power and strength, and 3. Overall, the three letters from John give us an idea of what the apostle thought was most important at the time: sound teaching, obedience to God, and brotherly love. Second John makes clear what our position should be regarding the enemies of the truth. Whereas 1 John focuses on our fellowship with God, 2 John focuses on protecting our fellowship from those who teach falsehood. Eusebius claimed that the author of 2nd and 3rd John was not John the Apostle but actually John the Elder, due to the introductions of the epistles. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. John is a bit cryptic in this letter, but he seems well aware of this. They emphasize that God is light and love and every … He wrote from Ephesus (in present-day western Turkey), perhaps to churches like those mentioned in Rev. God the Father commanded that His children walk in truth (2 Jn 4). It could meanthat the person was old. Second and Third John, however, are written to specific audiences. Therefore the purpose of John's Gospel is to "confirm and secure Christians in the faith." He summed up this kind of lifestyle in the exhortation to “love one another” (1:5), a clear reference to the great commandments of Jesus—to love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:36–40; John 13:34). Such practices align the believer with the evildoer, and John was keen on keeping the believers pure from the stain of falsehood and heresy. Most modern scholars believe this is not John the Apostle, but in general there is no consensus as to the identity of this person or group. He writes that “many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. 1 John 2:1-2 Christ our Advocate. The correlates with 1 John 2:18-27 and especially 4:1-6 (in particular 4:2). Consider your own life. In addition to this one, John is commonly credited with writing two other New Testament letters, a. Occasion and Purpose During the first two centuries the gospel was taken from place to place by traveling evangelists and teachers. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 3. It either refers to an actual woman or serves as a metaphor for a church. The apostle went so far as to warn his readers against inviting false teachers into the house or even offering them a greeting (2 John 1:10). While Paul wrote to specific congregations and individuals, Peter, James, John, and Jude wrote to broader audiences scattered across the Roman empire. The Purpose of the Gospel of John. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Second John, which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. © 2021 Insight for Living Ministries. Love and truth. But if anyone does sin, we have an … There is always a purpose behind everything that is invented or created. John explicitly declared Jesus to be God (John 1.1) who brought all things into existence (John 1.3). This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Posted on December 8, 2011 by Casey Dunn. But that simply is not true. A non-preachy, jargon-free handbook to what the Bible is, where it came from, and what it’s all about. John calls followers of Jesus to share in God's own life and love by devoting themselves to loving one another. The last books in the Bible to be written were 1st John (AD 85-95), 2nd John (AD 85-95), and 3rd John (AD 85-95) as well as the Book of Revelation, which was apparently written near the turn of the century or around AD 90-95 however some very … Purpose: To warn believers of the perils of being indiscriminate in their … Outline. When we don’t obey, we don’t love. Nothing in the circumstances John discussed in the letter would lead a reader of the time to think that it did not go to the same churches that received 1 John. 2 JOHN WRITER:John the Apostle DATE: A.D. 90 — 100 PERSONAL LETTER: This epistle is like Philemon in that it is a personal letter written by John to “the elect lady.” Is the Greek word electaa title, or does it refer to a Christian lady in the early church by the name of Electa? Sign up to receive e-mail from Insight for Living Ministries. It is written by the Disciple/Apostle John around 85-95 A.D. Key personality is John. John’s strong encouragement to the believers in 2 John involved loving one another. Such people are dangerous: the church shouldn’t side with them, shouldn’t invite them in, and shouldn’t participate in their actions (2 Jn 10–11). Deceivers and false teachers had infiltrated the church—people who taught falsehoods about the person of Jesus, teaching that He was not truly a man but only appeared to be one. [67] The letter was probably written about the same time as 1 John (a.d. 85–95), as the above comparisons suggest (see Introduction to 1 John: Date). At the start of the letter, the writer calls himself the‘*elder’. The first is the miracle of turning water into wine. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Discover more resources related to Second John. In either case, whether to a smaller family group joined by blood or to a larger one joined by confession, the application of the letter should remain unchanged. P. J. Thompson (1964) proposed that Psalm 119 provided the author of 1 John with the subject matter of the four parts into which the Epistle may be divided: the Way (1:1-2:21), Dangers (2:22-3:17), Safeguards (3:18-4:21), and the End (5:1-21).66 Because Thompson’s theory rests on a complicated acrostic pattern of 22 lines of Hebrew poetry which he believes lies behind both the prologue to the Gospel of John and 1 John… John Locke states in chapter 2, paragraph 4; there is a state in which all men are naturally born, “A state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions, and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or … Truth and obedience. Second John is the second shortest book of the Bible—Third John is the shortest (by word count). But they should be cautious whom they love. The second is Jesus' driving the money-lenders out of the temple complex. Obedience and love. Often we get in the mind-set that our obedience to God affects only ourselves.