Conclusion

7.5. Conclusion
How do we bring it all together? Verses 1-3 should be interpreted and understood in the light of the whole letter. The theme seems to be, watch out for false teachers. These are people who do not have the truth. John, as an elder, warns God’s people against these false teachers. In verses 1-3, he portrayed a positive picture of a Christian (lady or local church) who remains faithful to the truth. The truth that John is referring to in this letter is clearly about the person of the Lord Jesus. It is not an abstract concept or our cultural understanding of what truth is. Those who do not have the truth deny Jesus Christ as coming in flesh. Furthermore, truth seems to refer to living according to what Jesus commanded us. It is a life of love. We cannot say that we have the truth and do not live a life of love. That is not possible according to John. The final phrase of 2 John 1:3 portrays that beautifully: ‘In our life of truth and love’ (NJB). John says here that the Father and the Son will bless those who live accordingly with grace, mercy and peace. As an old man, serving the churches of God, John was concerned with what was happening around him. John’s concern was that the person and teaching of Christ would be central among God’s people. If that concern was appropriate then, what about now?