In continuation to the Bible study on 1 John, this Bible study will be focused on 2 John and 3 John. There is importance in connecting all three of these epistles, also known as letters, together since this is how the Apostle John wrote his letters to the churches as well as to individual readers.
While we know them as books of the Bible, 2 John and 3 John were originally written as letters to specific churches and specific audiences. With that being said, there is much we can learn from 2 John and 3 John, even though they are shorter books of the Bible.
2 John 1: Walking in Truth
Questions to Ask
- What does this chapter mean?
- What is the surrounding context?
- How can I apply this to my daily life?
2 John 1 is the only chapter of this epistle as it is shorter than other epistles in the Bible. This epistle was written by John the Apostle to the lady chosen by God and to her children (2 John 1:1).
The Apostle John writes this epistle to inform the readers of the great joy he had because they are walking in the truth of the Lord (2 John 1:4).
He praised them for this; however, he also reminded them of the importance of loving one another (2 John 1:5-6). John urges them to love each other and to obey God’s command to walk in love.
John also informs the believers that there are many deceivers out in the world, trying to deceive believers and unbelievers alike (2 John 1:7). If anyone denies Jesus Christ’s coming to the world, John calls them a deceiver and an antichrist (2 John 1:7b).
He isn’t referring to this person as being the antichrist as written about throughout the Bible who will reign during the tribulation. Rather, he is referring to anyone who denies Jesus as being an example of an antichrist since he or she denies the Lord.
John stresses the importance of continuing in the teachings of Christ. He urges the readers to not run ahead nor to deny the teachings of Christ (2 John 1:9). If someone has the Lord, He also has the Father (2 John 1:9).
John tells his readers that if anyone denies this teaching, they should not welcome these individuals in their house, nor should they partake in their wicked work (2 John 1:10-11).
John ends this epistle by stating that he hopes to see the readers soon, in order to see them face to face and to have fellowship with them (2 John 1:12). He ends the epistle by saying that the children of the woman’s sister send their greetings (2 John 1:13).
1. What does the chapter say? 2 John 1 is the only chapter of this epistle; therefore, it can be detailed what John says throughout this book of the Bible. John is writing to the chosen lady and her children.
He is informing them to love each other, continue to walk in the ways of the Lord, and be weary of antichrists. This is a practical letter that was written to a specific audience with a specific purpose.
Many individuals might try to apply different meanings to this epistle; however, it is best to read all parts of the Bible with a literal hermeneutic rather than an allegorical hermeneutic, including 2 John.
2. What is the surrounding context? The surrounding context of this epistle is 1 John and 3 John. Each of these books was written by John with a specific purpose in mind.
Surrounding the context of 2 John, we can see that John wanted the chosen lady and her children not to forget to love each other, which could mean this was something they were neglecting to do.
It can also be concluded that John was stressing the importance of being aware that there are many antichrists out in the world, and he doesn’t want them to be deceived by them.
He tells them that if anyone does not have the Son, then they don’t have the Father either. In other words, if a person denies Jesus Christ, they cannot truly know the Father.
3. How can I apply this in my life? The teachings of 2 John can be applied to your life by remembering to love one another as he commands the readers of this letter.
Love is a huge theme throughout each of John’s epistles, which shows us the importance of loving others just as Jesus loves us. While it can be hard at times, this is what we must do.
We can also apply the teachings of 2 John by continuing to walk in the ways of the Lord. This pleases God and gives Him glory.
Lastly, we can apply the teachings of 2 John to our lives by being aware of deceivers and antichrists. They can be convincing at times; however, we must be able to distinguish light from darkness.
3 John 1: Being a Faithful Follower of Christ
Questions to Ask
- What does this chapter mean?
- What is the surrounding context?
- How can I apply this to my daily life?
3 John is the final epistle we have from the Apostle John. It is a beautiful end to his trilogy of letters, which addresses deep, spiritual truths. This letter is written to John’s dear friend, Gaius (3 John 1:1).
John prays that Gaius would enjoy good health, as it would seem Gaius would often struggle with his health (3 John 1:2). He praises Gaius as he recounts how many believers testified to his faithfulness to the truth of the gospel (3 John 1:3).
There is nothing that brings John greater joy than hearing and knowing that his fellow believers are walking in the truth (3 John 1:4).
John goes on to praise Gaius for what he is doing and the hospitality he is showing to the believers (3 John 1:5). He encourages Gaius to send them on their way in love and in a way that brings glory to God because it was due to their faith in Christ that they went out (3 John 1:6-7).
They received no help from anyone but desired to go out and serve the Lord out of their own heart. With this in mind, John urges Gaius to continue to show hospitality to people such as these (3 John 1:8).
John also informs Gaius that he wrote to the church; however, Diotrephes will not welcome them (3 John 1:9). Diotrephes was a man who was not truly following Jesus and was said to “love to be first” (3 John 1:9).
In addition to not following Jesus, Diotrephes spread lies about believers, including John himself (3 John 1:10). John urges Gaius to not intimate what is evil, but what is good (3 John 1:11a).
This could be connected to the truth of how Diotrephes was doing what was evil. John was encouraging Gaius to do good and keep working for the Lord.
Anyone who does what is good is from God; however, whoever does what is evil doesn’t know God (3 John 1:11b). John says this to Gaius in order for him to weed out the people who don’t truly know Jesus as their Savior.
This is to help Gaius in his work and to be aware of many deceivers who are out in the world. Similar to 2 John, John ends this epistle by saying he hopes to see Gaius soon in person and tells Gaius that the other believers send their greetings (3 John 1:13-15).
1. What does the chapter say? This one and only chapter of 3 John is a personal letter written by the Apostle John to his friend Gaius. John is overwhelmed with joy to hear about Gaius’s faithful testimony to the Lord and how he continues to stand up for the Name of the Lord.
John also tells us in this epistle that the man in their church named Diotrephes was spreading false information about him as well as unbelievers. Gaius was not to listen to him, nor was he to encourage or endorse what Diotrephes was teaching.
John encourages Gaius to continue to do what is good because that is how we can show others we know God. The one who does not know God continues to do evil and it is something that Christians shouldn’t do.
2. What is the surrounding context? As mentioned within the description of 2 John, 3 John is the final epistle of John within his trilogy of epistles. This was a personal letter written to his friend Gaius, and it describes many things that are going on in the church.
There were many false teachers spreading lies throughout the churches, and Diotrephes was one that Gaius would have known about.
This is important to remember because even during the time of John’s writings, there were false teachers in the world and those who tried to disgrace the Name of the Lord.
3. How can I apply this to my life? You can apply the teachings of 3 John in your life by showing hospitality to others, continuing to be a faithful follower of Jesus, intimating what is good rather than what is evil, and being aware of false teachers.
It can be hard at times to be a follower of Jesus; however, just as John encourages Gaius, we, too, can be encouraged by these words.
How Does This Apply to Us Today?
By following what is good rather than what is evil, we will bring glory to God. This is one of our key purposes in life and we need to strive to be a faithful follower of Jesus.
For further reading:
Biblical Guidance for the Children of God: An Online Bible Study on the Book of 1 John
Spiritual Wisdom for Life: An Online Bible Study on the Book of James
Putting on the Armor of God: An Online Bible Study on the Book of Ephesians
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