2 John 1:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

NIV: The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth--and not I only, but also all who know the truth--

NASB: 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,

CSB: The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

NLT: This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth — as does everyone else who knows the truth —

KJV: The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

NKJV: The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth,

The first three verses of this letter are an introduction. This begins with the author of the letter, described as ''the elder.'' The letter itself does not say exactly who this is. Tradition holds that the writer is the apostle John. The evidence for his authorship is based on similarities with John's other writings, external evidence from church history, and the lack of any reasonable alternative.

The letter is written to "the elect lady and her children." There have been many different interpretations of this phrase. It may mean that John was writing to a particular Christian woman and her family. It may also refer to a particular woman and a church meeting in her home, a local church and those it has influenced, or the Christian church in general. Of these options, the most likely is that John is writing to a particular local church. This is especially likely since the letter's final verse mentions the "children of your elect sister," a reference to the church of the author.

John loved this church "in truth," as did "all who know the truth." His focus on love and its close association with truth are evident in this letter. John intends to show that legitimate love has an accurate foundation, one distinctly different from false teachers.

Second John 1:1–3 introduces this letter, from ''the elder'' to ''the elect lady and her children.'' These are references to the disciple John, and some particular local church, respectively. As is typical in such letters, John refers to the grace of God, to Jesus Christ, and to the concepts of love and truth.

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.