2nd Letter of John
1-3 John greets the church
1 I am a leader of the churches.
I write this letter to the people of your church, whom God chose.
I love you very much.
Everyone who knows and accepts the true message of Jesus loves you, too.
2 Why?
Because that message lives in us, now and forever.
3 God our Father and Jesus Christ (the Son) will give us
- grace,
- mercy,
- peace,
- truth, and
- love.
4-6 Obey and love
Here John explains that loving God means to obey him.
4 The Father told us to obey the true message of Jesus.
Some of you do this.
I heard this and I am very happy.
5-6 You must love one another.
This is not a new law.
We have always had this law.
What does it really mean to “love God”?
It means that we obey everything God told us.
7-11 False prophets
Here John says that those who believe the ideas taught by false prophets are not connected to God.
7 Why do I say these things to you?
Because in the world there are many false prophets.
Those false prophets say:
Jesus was not a real person.
Anyone who says that
- is an enemy of Christ and
- is trying to fool you.
8 We work so that you can
- know God and
- have eternal life.
You should be very careful to receive every good thing God wants to give you.
People who follow false prophets will lose many blessings.
9 You must remember this:
Some people continue to believe the teachings of Jesus.
These people are connected to both the Father and the Son.
But other people do not stay with the teachings of Jesus.
They believe other ideas instead.
These people are not connected to God.
10 False teachers may come along, whose teachings do not agree with Jesus.
Do not welcome them into your home or treat them like Christians.
11 Why?
Because treating false teachers like Christians is a way to help them.
You do not want any part of their words or actions.
12-13 John says “Goodbye”
12 I want to say more things to you.
But I don’t want to write all those things in this letter.
I want to visit you in the future and talk to you personally.
Then we will be very happy together.
13 The people here in my church, whom God chose, send you their greetings.