2 John 7–11

7 The reason John’s readers must continue in obedience and love for one another is the presence of “many deceivers” in the world, who will try to beguile them. Believers need to persevere in love for one another so that they may help protect one another from these evil influences.

John notes that there are “many” such false teachers, and, indeed, false teaching features prominently throughout the NT. The specific false teachers in view here deny the incarnation. They are Grinches seeking to steal Christmas. Some have suggested that these were early Gnostics, but we do not know the full content of their teaching. A denial of the incarnation would seem to downplay the full humanity of Christ. We should see that any deviation from full biblical Christology leads to false teaching. This is not merely an academic issue. The salvation promised in Christ, the loving fellowship he creates, and the future hope we await all depend on Jesus’ being who the Scriptures claim him to be. Anyone who distorts the biblical portrait of the person of Christ is a “deceiver” and is literally anti-Christ.

8 “Watch yourselves,” a plural imperative, is a call for the church community as a whole to watch out for each of its members. Guarding against deception is not only a pastoral duty but also the duty of each member of the flock. While pastors lead the work of overseeing souls (Heb. 13:17), all members play a part. Perseverance is a community project.

The key concern in this verse is the potential result of failing to be vigilant. John is clearly concerned that his readers persevere in the faith and thus show themselves to be true believers (1 John 2:18–20). He has worked so that they might understand the gospel, repent and believe, and persevere in the faith. If they turn away from the gospel to false teaching, they will show themselves to be unbelievers and thus squander what John and others within the church have worked for. John desires them to persevere and thus win the full reward of their faith on the final day. The use of “reward” (misthos) ought not concern us. Jesus and the apostles commonly used this language to refer to the eternal benefits of trusting Christ and persevering in that faith and in the good deeds it produces (e.g., Luke 6:23; John 4:36; 1 Cor. 3:8, 14; Rev. 22:12).

9 This verse clarifies further that John is concerned for the eternal salvation of his readers. Those who embrace the teaching of the deceivers and thus fail to “abide in the teaching of Christ” do not have God. They are not believers. Abiding, or “remaining,” points to persevering in proper doctrine. Abandoning this doctrine is here described as “[going] on ahead.” These false teachers are overly progressive. Not content with orthodox teaching, they “advance” into heresy.

John makes clear that one cannot have the Father without the Son. If one abandons the proper teaching concerning the Son, he cannot have the Father, but if he holds fast to the right understanding of the Son, he has both Father and Son (on “having” God, cf. comment on 1 John 5:12).

10–11 Because false teaching is so serious—with the potential to damn souls—we must not support it in any way. Traveling teachers in the ancient world were able to do their work only as people took them into their homes, providing food and shelter. In 3 John, John encourages the church to provide this support for orthodox teachers, but here he tells Christians they must not support heretical teachers. The greeting prohibited here is not a casual “hello” but a Christian greeting that would denote acceptance and prayer for God’s blessing. This is not a call to be uncivil or rude; rather, it is a call for clarity as to who is, and who is not, recognized as a fellow Christian. To encourage or support false teachers is to participate in their “wicked works” of deceiving people, leading to their damnation.