2 John 1:6

Context

2 John is a short letter from an author who identifies himself as "the elder" to "the elect lady and her children." Church tradition has identified the author as the apostle John, though some scholars regard him as "John the Elder," a figure distinct from the apostle. The "lady" to whom the letter is addressed is read by some as an actual woman and by others as a figurative reference to a local church.

In verses 4–6 the author expresses his joy that some are walking in the truth. He then reminds his readers that the commandment to "love one another" is not new but has existed from the beginning, and in verse 6 he sums up the relationship between love and the commandment. The very next verse, verse 7, warns against "deceivers" who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. The verse thus belongs to a line of thought that does not separate love from truth, that is, from a right confession of faith. Scholars commonly associate the teaching of these deceivers with Docetism (the claim that Christ did not take on a real body of flesh).

Interpretation

• As a circular definition: Love is keeping the commandments, and the commandment is walking in love. Many commentators see this interlocking formulation as emphasizing that the two cannot be conceived of apart from each other. Similar formulations recur in 1 John and the Gospel of John, which belong to the same authorial tradition.
• With emphasis on "from the beginning": This reading takes the phrase as a call to hold fast to the teaching first received from the apostles, in opposition to those who promote new teachings.
• In the Reformed tradition: Some interpreters connect this verse with the understanding that believers who have been saved take the law as the rule of life.
• In the Wesleyan tradition: Some connect the union of love and obedience with the tradition's emphasis on "perfect love."

Debates and Issues

It is unclear what "it" refers to in the final clause, "ye should walk in it." The pronoun in the Greek text is feminine, and because both "love" (agapē) and "commandment" (entolē) are feminine nouns, either referent is possible. Some modern English translations, such as the NIV, render the phrase "walk in love."

With regard to application, some ask whether the verse narrows love to rule-keeping or instead summarizes the commandments as love. This question touches on the long-standing debate over the relationship between law and gospel. Others point out that citing the verse to put "love" first while making light of doctrinal discernment ignores the context of verses 7 and following. On this view, the agape love of which the verse speaks is love in the truth.

Related Passages

• 2 John 1:5
• John 13:34
• John 14:15
• 1 John 2:7
• 1 John 5:3