Studies from theWord

(Note: The resources are throughout the Bible study.)

As of January 1, 2020 theWordBooks LLC is under new owernship of Jonathan Koehn. We give thanks to the many countless hours that brother David Cox invested into theWordBooks LLC and continues to invest into theWord. Thank you dear brother. You can find him working on these websites.

English: twmodules.com, theWord-Modules.com, module-repository.com, theword-dictionary-modules.com,
theword-commentary-modules.com and thewordtutorial.com.
Spanish: thewordayuda.com and twmodulos.com

This time of year the pushing through life happens. We also tend to crash after the Holiday highs of family time, emotion, days off and more. Sometimes we need reminded to draw back to the truth of God’s Word. Let’s turn to “the Word of God” in “theWord” and let’s study in regards to the “truth”.

2 John 1:1-3
From the elder, to an elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth (and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth), because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever. 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. from NET Bible, version 2, full notes edition – See Resources Column

2 John 1:1-3
Ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῆς, οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἀλήθειαν, διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τὴν μένουσαν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἔσται μεθ’ ἡμῶν χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ παρὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ. from Greek Bible text of the Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th edition (Nestle Aland) (GNT) – See Resources Column

John “the elder” greets the “elect lady and her children” some consider this to be a church and congregants; and others an individual and her children.

tn This phrase may refer to an individual or to a church (or the church at large). Some have suggested that the addressee is a Christian lady named “Electa,” but the same word in v. 13 is clearly an adjective, not a proper name. Others see the letter addressed to a Christian lady named “Kyria” (first proposed by Athanasius) or to an unnamed Christian lady. The internal evidence of 2 John clearly supports a collective reference, however. In v. 6 the addressee is mentioned using second person plural, and this is repeated in vv. 8, 10, and 12. Only in v. 13 does the singular reappear. The uses in vv. 1 and 13 are most likely collective. Some have seen a reference to the church at large, but v. 13, referring to “the children of your elect sister” is hard to understand if the universal church is in view. Thus the most probable explanation is that the “elect lady” is a particular local church at some distance from where the author is located.

sn 2 John is being written to warn a “sister” church some distance away, referred to as an elect lady, of the missionary efforts of the secessionist false teachers (discussed in 1 John) and the dangers of welcoming them whenever they arrive. from NET Bible, version 2, full notes edition – See Resources Column

This group John loves in truth (οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ,)

ἀγαπάω, –ῶ,

[in LXX chiefly for H157;]

to love, to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person,
to prize and delight in a thing.

1. Of human affection, to men: τ. πλησίον, Mat 5:43; τ. ἐχθρούς, Mat 5:44;
to Christ, Joh 8:42;
to God, Mat 22:37; c. acc rei, Luk 11:43, Joh 12:43 Eph 5:25, 2Ti 4:8; 2Ti 4:10, Heb 1:9, 1Pe 2:17, 1Pe 3:10, 2Pe 2:15, 1Jn 2:15, Rev 12:11.

2. Of divine love;

(a) God’s love: to men, Rom 8:37;
to Christ, Joh 3:35;

(b) Christ’s love: to men, Mar 10:21;
to God, Joh 14:31;
c. cogn.
acc, Joh 17:26, Eph 2:4.

SYN.: φιλέω G5368 *. From its supposed etymology (Thayer, LS; but v. also Boisacq) ἀ. is commonly understood properly to denote love based on esteem (diligo), as distinct from that expressed by φιλέω (amo), spontaneous natural affection, emotional and unreasoning. If this distinction holds, a. is fitly used in NT of Christian love to God and man, the spiritual affection which follows the direction of the will, and which, therefore, unlike that feeling which is
instinctive and unreasoned, can be commanded as a duty. (Cf. ἀγάπη G26 *, and v. Tr., 12; Cremer, 9, 592; and esp. MM, VGT, s.v.)

from Abbott-Smith’s Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (AMGL) – See Resources Column

As a believer in Jesus Christ the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever.
The word truth is used 5x throughout the book of 2 John in various forms sometimes as 2x direct object (accusative) and 3x indirect object (dative); the word love is used 2x as a verb and 2x as a noun. You can check this out with the Greek Bible text of the Greek Bible text of the Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th edition (Nestle Aland) (GNT) – See Resources Column and Robinson’s Morphological Analysis Codes – See Resources Column

We need to be reminded to look to the Word of God for the truth. Often we are told look to your inner-self (not God) for truth, look to more and more books for truth, truth is relative and so on. This truth that resides in us comes from the Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Bible (see commentary notes below from Believer’s Bible Commentary).

Brothers and sisters this is just but a taste of “theWord” and “the Word of God” please take some time in this new year and dig in for yourself into “the Word of God”.

In Christ,

Jonathan Koehn @ theWordBooks

THE APOSTLE’S
SALUTATION: GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE (Vv. 1-3)
1 In 2 John, the apostle introduces himself as the elder. This may refer to age or official position in the church. As to age, John was the last of the apostles who had companied with the Lord Jesus. As to official position, he surely was a bishop or overseer. Thus, we need not choose our explanation; both are correct.

The expression “To the elect lady” is not so easy to explain. Three views are commonly held. (1) Some believe that the elect lady is the church, elsewhere referred to as the Bride of Christ, or a particular local church. (2) Others think that the Letter was addressed to “the elect Kyria”—her name being Kyria. This name could be the Greek equivalent to the Aramaic name Martha (both mean “lady”).¹(3) Others feel that John is writing to an unnamed Christian lady, who with all other believers is among the elect of God—chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.

We prefer the last view, and feel it is especially significant that this warning against anti-christian teachers should be found in a Letter addressed to a woman. Sin first entered the world through Eve’s being deceived by Satan. “The woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Tim. 2:14). Paul speaks of false teachers who make a special appeal to women; they get into the house and capture “gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,” who will listen to anyone and yet are “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:6, 7). Even today the false cults visit homes during the daytime, when the man of the house is usually at work. Children need to be warned against false teachers also.

John states that he loves this elect lady and her children … in truth. Those who are saved find themselves in a wonderful fellowship, loving others whom they never would have loved, were it not for their common love for the truth of God. It is God’s truth that binds hearts together—the hearts of all those who have known the truth.

2 Because of the truth has two possible explanations. It may refer to the motive for loving all the saints, or it may give John’s reason for writing this Letter. Both are valid meanings. The truth which abides in us and will be with us forever. Here the truth may refer to: (1) the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am … the truth” (John 14:6); (2) the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit is truth” (1 Jn. 5:6; see John 14:16, 17); or (3) the Bible. “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Should we not pause to marvel at our being sustained by these Three, and their being with us forever!
3 John’s greeting is “grace, mercy, and peace will be with you.”²Grace is undeserved favor to those who deserve the opposite. Mercy is pity shown to those who are guilty and wretched. Peace is the harmonious relationship that results from God’s grace and mercy. All three of these blessings are from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father is the Source and the Son is the Channel.
In addition, they are in truth and love, and never at the expense of either of these virtues.

Footnotes

¹ (V. 1) Less likely, the Greek word for elect (Eklektē, “Electa”) could be taken as a proper name and the word “lady” as a title: “Lady Electa.”

² (V. 3) The critical (NU) and majority (M) texts read “us.” The Greek words for you/we, for you/us, and your/our are only one letter different from each other, hence the copying problems in the mss. (See, e.g., V. 8, where the NU text reads you, not we.)