2 John 1

2 John 1:2

The Temple of Living Stones SUMMARY OF I PETER 2: Desiring the Sincere Milk. The Living Stone. The Spiritual Temple. The Stone the Builders Rejected. The Peculiar People. Letting Our Light Shine. Obedience to Authorities. The Glory of Suffering for Righteousness. Wherefore. In view of the salvation and duty of brotherly love pointed out in 1 Peter 1:22. Laying aside. The things to be laid aside are inconsistent with brotherly love. Malice. The mental state opposed to love. Guile. The mental state opposed to sincerity. Hypocrisies. Guile exhibited in word and deed. Envies. “Love envieth not” (1 Corinthians 13:4). Evil speakings. Speaking evil of others.

2 John 1:3

As newborn babes. The new birth has been spoken of in 1 Peter 1:23. They are babes in Christ. Babes hunger for milk. Let babes in Christ earnestly desire the sincere milk of the word. “The spiritual milk which is without guile” (Revised Version). This word, unadulterated, is the food upon which Christians must feed in order to grow.

2 John 1:4

If so be ye. This is the proper food for those who have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious, or been converted. See Psalms 34:9.

2 John 1:5

To whom coming. To Christ the Lord. [As unto] a living stone. Christ is often called a Stone, or Rock, as the foundation whom which we build our spiritual life, and of the church; a “living stone” because he imparts life to all who build upon him, and himself lives eternally. See 1 John 1:1 Revelation 1:18 Acts 4:11. Disallowed indeed of men. Rejected by the Jewish nation. But chosen of God. Not of men but of God who raised him from the dead. See also 1 Peter 2:6.

2 John 1:6

Ye also, as lively stones. “Living stones” (Revised Version). Christians, born again to eternal life, become living stones also built into the spiritual temple of which Christ is the corner stone. Are built up a spiritual house. The church. God’s spiritual temple of which the temple was a type. An holy priesthood. Christ, the High Priest, hath anointed them all as priests in his spiritual house. They need no human priest to stand between them and God. Every Christian can offer up spiritual sacrifices. See Hebrews 13:15 Psalms 50:23 Hosea 14:3 Romans 12:1. The sacrifices of the Christian priest are prayer, praise, good deeds, the consecration of our bodies and substance to God’s service. Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. When offered in the name of Christ.

2 John 1:7

Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture. See Isaiah 28:16 Romans 9:33. Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone. Hence God had foretold that Christ should be a Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4). Peter has not quoted the passage in full which declares that the stone is “a tried stone”, “a sure foundation”. Elect. Hence, “chosen by God” (1 Peter 2:4). Precious. Since it is “the chief corner stone” without which the structure could not be built. And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Hence this stone is a person, and faith in him is the basis of salvation.

2 John 1:8

Unto you therefore which believe. The prophecy is now applied. [He is] precious to believers because they enjoy the promise embraced in “he that believeth on him shall not be confounded”. (1 Peter 2:6). But unto them which be disobedient. Those who do not believe and hence, disobey; to these he is the stone which the builders rejected, which is spoken of in Psalms 118:22. See also Matthew 21:42 Acts 4:11. The same is made the head of the corner. Peter quotes this passage from the Old Testament and applies it with great force (Acts 4:11). The rejected Savior had become the Head of God’s spiritual temple.

2 John 1:9

A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. He is this to the disobedient. To believers, “precious”; to the disobedient, a stone over which they stumble and fall. [Even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient. Unto stumbling over the stone and falling. Whereunto also they were appointed. This is God’s appointment to the disobedient. It is the result of their unbelief. The idea is that stumbling is their condition. When they reject Christ they stumble more and more.

2 John 1:10

But ye [are] a chosen generation. “An elect race” (Revised Version). God’s chosen race, like ancient Israel. Christians are now the chosen people (Isaiah 43:21). A royal priesthood. See Exodus 19:6. The Hebrew passage which Peter refers to means “a kingdom of priests”. Either this is its meaning, or that all in it, “anointed ones” like Christ, are in some sense like him, priest-kings. An holy nation. Set apart to God. A peculiar people. “A people for [God’s] own possession” (Revised Version). Differing from the world in life. That ye should shew forth. They differ from the world that their holy lives may shine as a light and honor God. Out of darkness. In this verse and 1 Peter 2:10 Peter surely has in mind Gentile Christians.

2 John 1:11

Which in time past [were] not a people. Not a people of God. See Hosea 2:23, which Peter quotes. The prophets in many places foretold the call of the Gentiles. See Romans 9:25,26.

2 John 1:12

I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims. “As sojourners” (Revised Version). They were all, like the fathers (Hebrews 11:13), only pilgrims and sojourners on the earth, seeking for a better home. Hence they should abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, which would destroy their prospects of that home.

2 John 1:13

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles. Your daily life. Let it be such as to refute slanders of their enemies. They speak against you as evildoers. See Acts 17:6. The Jews often accused Christians to heathen rulers of being seditious. Because they rejected the heathen gods, they were accused of being atheists. The best way to answer these charges was to live them down. By [your] good works. Compare Matthew 5:16. The day of visitation. The day when God will make all clear and the heathen shall be converted.