Light & Darkness: A Way of Spiritual Formation (2 John)

On October 6, as part of our Light & Darkness series through John's pastoral letters, Pastor Jeff McLain examined 2 John, a letter that models a spiritual formation in a community grounded in love and truth, where our elders guide us, faith grows, and we support one another, creating a harmonious life in Christ that reflects His love and fosters genuine connection.
 
As we reflected on John's letter, we saw a clear vision of what it means to live faithfully within a community grounded in love and truth. Our elders guide us with wisdom, and our local church is a place where faith grows and transformation happens. To stay anchored to Jesus, we need both the truth of God and the bonds of community, which tie us together in God’s love. When we lift each other up, we become beacons of encouragement, shining brightest in times of struggle. Just as a conductor brings harmony to an orchestra, our lives must reflect the melody of love that fulfills Christ's commandment. As a simple community of Jesus followers, we are called to protect and guard the faith that has been entrusted to us, recognizing the profound value of being face-to-face, where true joy and connection come alive. Together, we are a community that lives, loves, and journeys forward in Christ.

Who we are together.
River Corner Church is a growing church community of everyday people who gather to worship God, follow Jesus, and journey through life together.

What we practice together.
Our small church community is uniquely caring, simple, laid-back, and intergenerational. As a church, we want to be a welcoming, safe, and healing community for those who are seeking, hurting, or need a place to belong. Our practices are contemplative (reflective) charismatic (Spirit-driven), conversational, and informative. The times we share together are intentional and intimate, and a mix between modern and traditional. We want to be a place in which love and honor are lived out, where humility is central, and where hospitality is woven into the threads of our community. There is room at the table.

When we gather together.
River Corner Church gathers weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM to worship and experience God, study the scriptures, journey through life together, and partner with the Holy Spirit. We meet in a simple worship meeting house at 524 River Corner Road in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. You are welcome as you are, just be yourself. There are other times that we hold small groups, events, and more.

Our Pastoral Leader.
As the pastor of River Corner Church, Jeff McLain leads our church community and helps others to think differently about Jesus, life, and everything in-between. Jeff also serves as the Director of Pastoral Ministries at Water Street Mission, where he works with those facing homelessness and poverty. Jeff, Katie, and their three wander-filled daughters look to lead quiet lives. Committed to lifelong learning, Jeff is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Kairos University and completing a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Executive Leadership at City Vision University. These academic pursuits complement the two masters he completed earlier at Fuller Seminary. Jeff has a passion for baseball, boardwalks, beaches, bays, and books, but above all, his greatest joy lies in spending time with his family and guiding our church community on our journey of faith together.

Learn more about us at rivercornerchurch.com.

Transcript

Light & Darkness

Second to last

Marco Polo. How I see this passage.

2 John

New International Version

1 The elder,

To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

Reflection

The Elder

In this opening, John identifies himself as an elder. In the same way, that to us an elder can be a person who is an older person or a person in a specific church leadership role, the same was true in John’s time. Paul identifies elders in the various churches he plants, but usually, elders are individuals who are local to that church context and provide leadership to it. Elders are also people of respect who provide a mentoring relationship because they in some way matter to that context. John is certainly advanced in age at this stage, grandfatherly and pastorally, and I think elder is used here not as a local elder in the church but as an older gentleman who mattered through mentorship - this was John’s role. Most commentators make this point as well.

In ancient Jewish communities, "elders" held authority due to their age, prominence, and respectability, as age was highly respected. John assumes this simple title in 2 John, rather than emphasizing his apostleship, reflecting a long life of service to Christ and the Church. William Barclay remarks that the "elder" in this letter has a wider, more expansive authority, as he advises congregations beyond his own community, in which he has mentorship over. He suggests that this letter was likely written in Ephesus, where the term "elder" had a special meaning, referring to those who were apostles or had been direct disciples of the apostles. John, as the author of this letter, is the elder, one of the last direct connections to Jesus, which gives him the right to speak with authority to this church community he is writing.

Elders ground us in faith, offering the wisdom and guidance that sustain us for the journey ahead.

This letter starts with, “To the lady chosen by God and to her children.”

The ambiguity of the phrase eklectē kuria (translated as “chosen lady”) in 2 John presents interpretive challenges regarding the identity of the letter's recipient. In ancient Greek texts, all words were written in uppercase, which means the phrase could be interpreted in different ways. Scholars have debated this from so many angles. The Greek kuria can be understood either as a proper name, referring to a specific woman, or as a general title meaning "lady." The female term is also used in a lot of old writings to describe Israel or the community of God’s people, like an old man calling his boat his lady or a ‘she.’

The early church often leaned towards seeing this as an actual woman. One early church father saw it almost as a love letter. Early church figures like Clement of Alexandria believed her name was "Electa." At the same time, Athanasius thought she was the elect "Kyria," leading to various translations such as "Cyria" in modern English versions like the Living Bible (TLB). Others translated it as a Chosen Lady but thought it to be Mary, Martha, or someone of significance. Overall, the word kuria was a common term used in contemporary papers to address women, which suggests that it could simply mean "lady" here.

So, while a majority of modern commentators suggest the "elect lady" could refer symbolically to a local church, there are others who uphold a unique and historic argument that she was a real woman, possibly a lady who hosted a house church in her house. This view would most notably be reinforced by John’s concluding reference to the "children of your sister," in verse 13, which again scholars say could either be symbolic (meaning other church members in a ‘sister’ church) or literal (another woman's children). 

Why the ambiguity? John certainly knows how to be direct. In 3 John, John writes to a friend and disciple with specificity. Either because John is just intending it to be symbolic or perhaps it is because this letter was written during a time when persecution was a real threat, and if it fell into the wrong hands, it could have caused serious trouble - for a person or a specific church. The wording may have been crafted so that insiders would easily understand the intended recipient, while outsiders would view it as a simple personal letter exchanged between friends.

Where do I fall? I think verse 13 makes it hard for me to believe John is still being ambiguous in this verse about children and sisters. I do think John wrote ambiguous, to a chosen lady, who probably was hosting a church in their home and therefore I think the wording was crafted so that insiders would easily understand the intended recipient.

Regardless of how one interprets these words, however, the basic application of the epistle remains unchanged. What the author would expect in the belief and behavior of a lady and her children, he would also expect of a local church and its members (Akin, 2001, p. 220). Ultimately, both interpretations have merit, but the possibility that the lady was a specific woman, with her own children and a church meeting in her home, is seen as plausible by many scholars.

Local church communities ground us in faith, just as those who faithfully facilitate transformative community.

John’s letter starts a lot with a focus on truth.

In verses 2 and 3, the word truth shows up four times.

John's intent is to emphasize the unifying power of truth, which is known and shared by all believers, and to affirm that this truth, living within us, brings grace, mercy, and peace through the enduring love of God and Jesus Christ.

That is what John means when he writes -

whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

Truth is the glue to his love for them. Love is the glue for all who know the truth. That truth that glues us together lives in us the minute we commit to Jesus and stays with us here-and-now, and into all eternity. John also says, as he greets them, that Jesus is embodied in that truth and is glued to us and we are glued to him through it.

The word John uses for Truth, Alétheia (truth) in Greek signifies not just spoken truth, those things that we say are true and factual that we verbalize, but it is a word that means the reality, sincerity, and divine truth revealed to humanity, standing in contrast to illusion.

Truth is a concern for John. Truth is the glue that keeps us together with each other and with Jesus, with the apostles, unlike the way that the troublemakers are modeling, as we learned about in 1 Thessalonians - and which seems to still be causing problems for the early churches that are in the surrounding region and era. There is always trouble for the church and like then, even today, it often looks like leaders who have led in bad ways, who have brought shame on the church, it looks like those who have not carried the name well publicly, it looks like those pushing untested and unquestioned theology, and it looks like those who are evil intentionally sowing discord and confusion in the church. Truth is what keeps us together. Truth is what keeps us rooted. Truth is what keeps the church alive. It is something we announce only, it is something that we embody, demonstrate, and experience.

John’s intent in this passage is to emphasize that true Christian love is rooted in the truth of Christ, which binds believers together in a community characterized by unwavering goodwill and mutual support. In this way, John assures his readers that this truth dwells within them, creating a lasting bond that transcends doubt, especially in light of the challenges posed by heretical teachings. By affirming the presence of Christ as the embodiment of truth, John encourages the community, highlighting that their love for one another is a reflection of God's love and the enduring reality of their faith. Ultimately, John aims to foster confidence and unity among believers, reinforcing that their shared commitment to truth is both the foundation of their love and the assurance of Christ’s abiding presence.

To stay glued to Jesus and the way of God, we need community and to know the truth for ourselves, as it is this experience of truth that binds us together in love and keeps us anchored in God’s presence.

We engage with Scripture, seek fellowship with fellow believers, and practice love and service within our community, creating a shared experience of truth that strengthens our bond with Jesus and each other. By intentionally cultivating relationships and holding each other accountable, we deepen our understanding of God's ways and ensure that we remain anchored in His presence.

Everyday life is playing darts, and hitting the center is the goal, that center is truth. When we are at odds with someone, when we are discontent, we start playing darts to recenter ourselves.

This next verse helps me to believe John isn’t being symbolic, he writes “It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.” That feels too weird if it is about a church. John would be implying that some of the church doesn’t know Jesus, and isn’t walking in the truth. The way he implies the Father commanded us, makes me wonder if the lady herself also knew Jesus. I don’t think he is trying to disguise the church too much, it would be obvious that this is a Christian letter with Christian manifestos. 

In this verse, I take note of what Paul is doing more than saying. This verse to me is a letter of encouragement. There is great power in encouragement. Think about those times in which you felt down, out, ignored, unseen, and someone spoke life into you. John is writing to a people struggling. He writes, seemingly to a woman, but possibly a church community, identifying the good in their life. He gives them something to anchor to. The light is already shining. Some of the children are already belonging. 

The church community shines brightest when we remind each other of the goodness in our lives, serving as beacons of encouragement in times of struggle.

John gets to his point now. This letter is short. It is just one chapter. Even more, it sounds a lot like a lot of 1 John, as we saw over the last few weeks.

John writes, “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 

In a world where leaders were making new practices and traditions, loops to jump through, John makes sure that they know the command John talks about isn't new; it's an old one found in the law (Lev 19:18). It has been there since the beginning. However, Jesus embodying it and setting the example made it even more important (Jn 13:34–35). In the context of 1–2 John, "loving one another" means sticking with the Christian community instead of leaving it, like some people were doing. It means that as long as love is what is driving us, we stay glued to the truth, to each other, and when we walk out love in our lives, we find ourselves being obediently to God’s way.

​​This word for walk is the same walk when Jesus walked on the water. It is the same walk of faith that the man who picked up his mat did. It is about regulating and conducting one's self in a way. It implies an ethical way of being. 

Consider some of the same points John made like this in 1 John:

• 1 John 2:7-8 (NIV): "Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
• 1 John 3:11 - "For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another."
• 1 John 3:18 - "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
• 1 John 4:7 - "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
• 1 John 4:21 - "And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." 
• 1 John 5:2-3 - "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome."

John points out that love is the goal in the middle of division and confusion. As William Barclay points out, other approaches won’t work, “Rebuke and criticism are liable to awaken only resentment and hostility; argument and controversy are liable only to widen the split; love is the one thing to heal the break and restore the lost relationship.” One of our values as a church is to bring God’s healing and peace to the places we live, work, and play. That is done through the way we love, the way we see others in their image of God.

A conductor in an orchestra unifies individual musicians, guiding them to create a harmonious symphony through tempo, dynamics, and expression. Similarly, we are called to conduct our lives in a way that produces a music of love, embodying the new commandment to love one another. By orchestrating our actions with kindness and compassion, we create a melody that reflects our commitment to God’s command, inviting others to join in the beautiful symphony of faith and community.

Just as a conductor brings harmony to an orchestra, we must live our lives in a way that conducts a symphony of love, fulfilling Jesus’ new commandment to love one another.

If our lives say anything else, we are in trouble, we are antiChristing.

That is why John goes on to share that many deceive, sowing confusion, who have gone out into the world bringing more confusion. They do not acknowledge Jesus came in the flesh. For them, it was some metaphysical reality. John calls them antichrists, just like he did in 1 John. If God could only enter our lives as a disembodied spirit, it would imply that the body is to be despised, resulting in no true communion between the divine and human and, ultimately, no genuine salvation. He had to take on our humanity to transform us into His image.

However, it is the next part that we need to pay attention to. John gives a few warnings to those in this small and struggling church community. We need to take note of these two first warnings in these confusing times.

1. John says, “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.” When we fail to love others, we undo what we are undoing what God is doing in the world, in us, with us, and through us. The word for “lose” speaks to a loss or destruction of what has been done. It is a perishing, cutting away, or cutting off entirely.  John insists that they are destroying Christianity and wrecking the foundation that has been laid and on which everything must be built. When the music in our life is not playing the tune of love, we undo the message we carry as a church, as followers of Jesus. No one likes music when it doesn’t play right, because it becomes noise. Notice the idea of losing reward too. The word for reward is wages. When Jesus calls us to rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, it is the same word. I think he is speaking to eternity, but also the way God’s favor makes a difference in our lives now.
   
   
   
2. John says, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” The first warning John gives is about undoing, and regressing. This warning is not about being behind but rather being out in front of, running ahead. This to me speaks to the idea that we add to the gospel, to the simplicity of the gospel. The gnostics, The false teachers, would have claimed that they were the progressives, the advanced thinkers, the people with open and adventurous minds. Christianity is not a vague, uncontrolled philosophy on the nature of God; it is anchored to the historical figure of Jesus Christ. 
   
   
   

In naming these first two warnings, John reminds us of things that we need to be aware of in our lives. Where we are undoing the work in our lives, and where we are unanchored to the work of God. These filters help us make sure we are loving one another rightly. However, John gives one final warning. He writes, ““If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.” We need to be careful of our associations. So often we take warnings like this to be judgmental about those in the world and their sin. While sin is sticky, John is not writing about those who are outside the faith. Rather, he is writing to those who are attacking the faith from within it, by adding confusion and false theology. Paul reminds us of a similar point, in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, "“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’” Hospitality was a practice of the early church, and a command of the Jewish culture, but to extend hospitality to these people Paul calls the antichrists, would mean that we do take on the stickiness of sin. Even more, the church is not tasked with just not extending hospitality, but being people of the truth. We are to challenge these things. We are to keep false theology and idealogy out of our church. We cannot have a church behind or ahead. It is our task to keep our community.

We are called to be a simple community of Jesus followers, anchored in God’s truth, boldly protecting and guarding the boundaries of our faith.

We might find ourselves asking, Did John first insist on the command of love and then immediately break it himself? This is very likely a reference to a house meeting of the church. Another reason I think it is a person.

John Stott highlights three key points about John's warning: 

1. John is addressing false teachers, not just believers in false ideas. 
2. These teachers are actively spreading a false message, much like merchants selling goods. The warning applies specifically to formally welcoming or endorsing these teachers, rather than merely offering private hospitality.
3. John’s concern is with those teaching false doctrine about the incarnation, not every doctrinal disagreement. This passage does not justify shunning others based on differences in interpretation of apostolic teachings.

Perhaps we see then it is loving to protect our community.

John then closes his letter like this -

12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

In this closing and lastly, we cannot ignore what John models here.

There is a realization that nothing surpasses intentionality in-person, in being face to face.

There is intimacy, in which greetings are familiar bonds are shared.

We are reminded that nothing can replace the power of being face-to-face in an intimate community, where true joy and deep connection are made complete.

Again, many scholars think this closing is a metaphorical expression denoting the local church and its members to which this letter is being sent. When the elder concludes the letter with greetings from “the children of your sister, who is chosen by God,” he is conveying the greetings of the members of the local church of which he himself is a member.” Perhaps. I think a plain reading of scripture in this case makes the most sense, and in that I find one final reminder- we are not playing church, we are sharing homes and lives together as this church meets in the home of the chosen lady.

As we reflected on John's letter, we saw a clear vision of what it means to live faithfully within a community grounded in love and truth. Our elders guide us with wisdom, and our local church is a place where faith grows and transformation happens. To stay anchored to Jesus, we need both the truth of God and the bonds of community, which tie us together in God’s love. When we lift each other up, we become beacons of encouragement, shining brightest in times of struggle. Just as a conductor brings harmony to an orchestra, our lives must reflect the melody of love that fulfills Christ's commandment. As a simple community of Jesus followers, we are called to protect and guard the faith that has been entrusted to us, recognizing the profound value of being face-to-face, where true joy and connection come alive. Together, we are a community that lives, loves, and journeys forward in Christ.

The steps we take are not to be prescribed in some five-point sermon, but rather from the outcome of a question.

How will you, this week, take a small step of living out a commitment to truth and love within our community, and how can we intentionally strengthen our connections with one another to reflect the presence of Jesus more fully?

And maybe it is, how vulnerable will you let yourself be in the community?

Missed a sermon message? Just one more week.

Prayer and Ministry

Points

Elders ground us in faith, offering the wisdom and guidance that sustain us for the journey ahead.

Local church communities ground us in faith, just as those who faithfully facilitate transformative community.

To stay glued to Jesus and the way of God, we need community and to know the truth for ourselves, as it is this experience of truth that binds us together in love and keeps us anchored in God’s presence.

The church community shines brightest when we remind each other of the goodness in our lives, serving as beacons of encouragement in times of struggle.

Just as a conductor brings harmony to an orchestra, we must live our lives in a way that conducts a symphony of love, fulfilling Jesus’ new commandment to love one another.

We are called to be a simple community of Jesus followers, anchored in God’s truth, boldly protecting and guarding the boundaries of our faith.

We are reminded that nothing can replace the power of being face-to-face in an intimate community, where true joy and deep connection are made complete.