2 John 13 KJV  [13] “The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.” John has penned his final verse in this small epistle, and I have to say that he has not disappointed us with his closing remark. This verse is unique in the fact that it contains both a farewell and a greeting. John is saying goodbye with his pen, but he extends a greeting thru this elect lady’s nieces and nephews. Some believe the elect sister, and the elect lady, are two local churches in the same neighborhood. This may very well be true, but they could …

2 John 12 KJV [12] “Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.” You will have to decide for yourself who you believe the identity of this lady is. Is she Mary, the mother of Jesus? Is she a well-respected lady in the community? Is she the local church? These are questions for you, the reader, to sort out.  However, we do know that John had a strong desire to see her. He has many things …

2 John 11 KJV [11] “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” Most of us would never see ourselves hooking up with the heathens of this world. We do not worship the same God, nor do we have the same interest in mind. The big question is not how we see it, but rather how God sees it. He always sees things more clearly than we do. In this verse, the Lord draws a narrow line for those who would show a false teacher hospitality. The Bible says if you will show him kindness, …

2 John 10 KJV [10] “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:” There are several things to consider in our verse when it comes to false teachers. For starters, you don’t have to worry about finding cults, they will find you. In fact, the Bible says they will come to your residence. I think this verse should also shame anyone that does not believe in door to door visitation. How sad it is when the average Mormon, or Jehovah’s false witness, will spend 15-plus hours a …

2 John 9 KJV [9] “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” We must remember that John is older, and is coming to the shoreline of life and eternity. He does not have many days left on this earth, and has no time for wasting words. He makes his statement both bold, and clear. You are either in or out. You are either saved or lost. You either have God or you don’t. He makes no exceptions, and …

2 John 8 KJV [8] “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.” We are quickly given the admonition in this verse to keep our eyes open! Do not allow heresy to overtake you. False doctrines and teachers are nothing to take lightly. They are everywhere, and should be considered both a threat, and a thief. False teachers never produce, or build anything. They simply prey on the weak and vulnerable, and steal from the fold. They should be regarded as thieves, and avoided like the plague. If …

 2 John 7 KJV [7] “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” John uses the word “deceivers” twice in this verse. The word is planos, and it is a word suggesting “imposters”. These were men who denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ. John even goes so far as to call them “antichrist.” As deceivers they became the enemy of men, and as antichrist they became the enemy of God.  We know that these imposters still exist today. There are false teachers, …

2 John 6 KJV [6] “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” I am sure that if you walked up to the average church member today, and asked them this question, “Do you love God?”, they would quickly respond by saying “yes”. They might even look at you with astonishment, that you would dare question their love for God. The fact that they attend church, and call themselves a Christian, should be evidence enough that they love him. But the …

2 John 5 KJV [5] “And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.” John reminds this dear lady that his letter contains nothing new, but is a reminder of what she has heard from the beginning. What makes the Bible so unique is that it is an old message that is up to date for any generation, any time, and anywhere. The message is relevant, clear, and steady. The commandments of this book never change.  John reminds her of …

2 John 4 KJV [4] “I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.” John is excited to hear of these believers walking in truth. He reminds them that it has been commanded by the Father. He encourages them, by letting them know how they have encouraged him, by simply staying on this path. He is going to deal with the danger of unscriptural ways in this epistle, so he begins by acknowledging their dedication to staying with what is right. We live in a day that is …