2 John 1:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

NIV: Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

NASB: for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

CSB: for the one who greets him shares in his evil works.

NLT: Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

KJV: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

NKJV: for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

This verse concludes the main body of the letter and John's warnings against false teachers in verses 7–11. John's comment is both direct and powerful. A person who shows hospitality to false teachers "takes part," or "shares," in that sin. In the context of this culture, John has in mind a person who accepts a false teacher into his or her home. This does not mean in a modern, literal sense that a believer cannot say, "hello" or "good morning" to a false teacher. The idea is to avoid anything that even slightly supports a false teacher's work.

John's desire was for believers to walk "in the truth" (2 John 1:4), not to share in wicked work or evil. This means more than simply not doing evil ourselves. As believers, we are also called on to avoid supporting those who teach some other, false gospel (Galatians 1:8). Being polite and loving does necessarily mean advocating or defending. We are not to confuse civility with promoting those who preach a dangerous and phony message.

Second John 1:7–11 discusses a certain type of false teacher. Those who deny that Jesus came to earth in a real, physical, human form are not teaching the truth. According to John, these people are not to be supported in any way whatsoever. Those who help a false teacher are participating in their sin.

The entire book of 2 John is only 13 verses long. It is written by ''the elder,'' in this case the disciple John. In it, John commends a group of believers for holding fast to the truth of the gospel. He also warns these people to avoid those who deny aspects of the Christian faith, and who deceive people away from the truth. John uses the term ''elect lady and her children'' as a reference to this entire local church.

As a short letter, 2 John doesn’t develop any one topic too deeply. John is pleased to see that some believers are sticking to the truth, but this implies that others are not. He is concerned over the influence of false teachers, using strong terms to reject their teachings. John’s reference to ''the elect lady and her children'' is probably a reference to an entire local church and its members.

Second John is one of the disciple John’s letters. The others are 1 John and 3 John. He is also the author of the gospel of John and the book of Revelation. Letters such as this help us understand John’s guidance of early churches. As the last surviving disciple, John’s words would have carried great weight in the Christian community.

Accessed 11/21/2024 3:43:14 PM