2 John 1:1

Greeting the Elect Lady

1 The Elder, To the¹ elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known ^athe truth,

2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 ^aGrace, mercy, and peace will be with¹ you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Walk in Christ’s Commandments

4 I ^arejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: ^athat we love one another.

6 ^aThis is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that ^bas you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

Beware of Antichrist Deceivers

7 For ^amany deceivers have gone out into the world ^bwho do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. ^cThis is a deceiver and an antichrist.

8 ^aLook to yourselves, ^bthat we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

9 ^aWhoever¹ transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to you and ^adoes not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;

11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

John’s Farewell Greeting

12 ^aHaving many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, ^bthat our joy may be full.

13 ^aThe children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does 2 John 1:1 Mean?

Who Is the 'Elect Lady' of II John 1?

The Bible does not identify the "elect lady" directly. The most natural meaning of his salutation is that John sent his letter to a particular person. However, he may also have been referring to the church symbolically.

Although church history does not say to whom John wrote, his letter may have been addressed to Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary's unique role and the special association between herself and John would make it unlikely that he would have referred to any other person in such a way. As Jesus hung dying on the cross, He charged John with His mother's welfare (John 19:26-27). We also know that Mary had several children in addition to Jesus (some are mentioned in Matthew 13:55-56) and a sister (John 19:25) in the church. This is in accord with II John 1, 13.

It would not have been out of place for John—while writing the letter specifically to Mary—to have addressed the church as a very special lady. As shown by the contexts of Ephesians 5:32 and Revelation 12, the church is sometimes referred to as a woman (see also Galatians 4:26). At the time John wrote, false Christianity was on the increase, and God's "children" needed a mother's—the church's—spiritual guidance and protection more than ever. "The children of your elect sister" (II John 13) would then, under this symbolic interpretation, be the members of the church in the area from which John was writing.

While there is a natural curiosity to know the meaning of the "elect lady," we should remember that it is really of no great significance as far as day-to-day living is concerned. The important thing to keep in mind is that this letter is a part of the inspired Scriptures and contains a vital message for Christians today.

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