2 John 1 (ERV) · OmniBible

1Chapter

¹Greetings from the Elder. To the lady chosen by God and to her children. I truly love all of you. And I am not the only one. All those who know the truth love you in the same way. ²We love you because of the truth—the truth that lives in us. That truth will be with us forever.
³Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from his Son, Jesus Christ, as we live in truth and love.
⁴I was very happy to learn about some of your children. I am happy that they are following the way of truth, just as the Father commanded us. ⁵And now, dear lady, I tell you: We should all love each other. This is not a new command. It is the same command we had from the beginning. ⁶And loving means living the way he commanded us to live. And God’s command is this: that you live a life of love. You heard this command from the beginning.
⁷Many false teachers are in the world now. They refuse to say that Jesus Christ came to earth and became a man. Anyone who refuses to accept this fact is a false teacher and the enemy of Christ. ⁸Be careful! Don’t lose the reward we have worked for. Be careful so that you will receive all of that reward.
⁹Everyone must continue to follow only the teaching about Christ. Whoever changes that teaching does not have God. But whoever continues to follow the teaching about Christ has both the Father and his Son. ¹⁰Don’t accept those who come to you but do not bring this teaching. Don’t invite them into your house. Don’t welcome them in any way. ¹¹If you do, you are helping them with their evil work.
¹²I have much to say to you. But I don’t want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come visit you. Then we can be together and talk. That will make us very happy. ¹³The children of your sister who was chosen by God send you their love.

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TWISTED SCRIPTURE

2 John 10

Some Christians believe this verse means we should not invite Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormon missionaries into our homes. Others say we must not even open the door to anyone who believes wrong teachings. Examination of the immediate and broader context shows that this is not John’s meaning. Recall that in 1 Peter 3:15-16 we are told to kindly give “a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Since this requires having relationships with non-Christians, and since the Bible cannot contradict itself, we can be sure that John is not commanding us to be unkind to nonbelievers. We must also note that in the first century there were no church buildings, so Christians met in their homes. Second John 10 warns first-century readers that they should not let a false teacher, posing as a Christian, teach heretical doctrines at their official house-church gatherings. In our day, we must prevent false teachers from occupying a church pulpit, but the Bible does not allow us to refuse to be hospitable toward people of other religions.