The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 John 1:1-13, “The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.
5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;
11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full.
13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.”

A close friend of mine told me recently that her grandchildren liked to receive mail. Their birthdays are near, so she planned to send their cards through the mail. That will give them a double thrill: first, the receiving of the cards themselves, then having had them arrive through the mail.

The Apostle John, who calls himself “the elder,” never names the recipient of his letter. He simply speaks of her as “the chosen lady.” The Greek word for lady is ????? (kuria), the feminine form of kurios, lord. Undoubtedly, she was a leading lady in the church, perhaps even wealthy, as was Lydia (Acts 16:14), a seller of purple.

The key word of this epistle is “truth.” John speaks of “love in the truth” (v. 1), and emphasizes that truth is always available to us and within us (v. 2). He further welds truth together with “grace, mercy and peace” (v. 3), while walking in the truth indicates an attitude of honesty, love and ready obedience (vv. 4-6).

Yet, simply knowing that truth is with us, is not sufficient. There must be a test of the truth (vv 7-9). My parents kept me in church and under the Word where truth was put to test. There were then, as there are now, those who deny the reality of Christ Jesus’ humanity and deity. This is a false claim that does not pass John’s truth test.

Even so, there must be a defence of the Truth. We must not allow the clamorous commotion that only claims to be true, to escape without our challenge. Truth is worth the cost of its defence; therefore, we must defend God’s truth by refusing to bid “God’s speed” to those who deny it. The Word, lived out in our lives is the best defence. Does your life show His love? Truly?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom