Although they are traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, we have no way of knowing with certainty the name of the author of II John and III John. They simply begin by identifying the writer as “the elder” – “The elder to the elect lady and her children” (II John 1), and “The elder to the beloved Gaius” (III John 1). In the letters’ original Greek, the word for “elder” is πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) – this is the root from which our English word “presbyterian” comes. We should note, then, that although present-day Baptists sometimes claim pride of place because there are stories about a Baptist in the New Testament (John the Baptist), Presbyterians can counter that the Bible specifies that two documents in the New Testament declare they were authored by a Presbyterian.

“The elect lady and her children,” the addressees of II John, indicates in symbolic fashion the church and its members. The elder loves these people “in the truth,” and not only that, “all who know the truth do as well” (II John 1). This is “because of the truth that abides in us” (II John 2), and is exemplified when people are “walking in the truth” (II John 4). Clearly the elder is concerned that we follow the truth!

Two specific truths get emphasized. The first is the reality of the incarnation. Some people argued that Jesus was a spiritual reality, God appearing to humanity in a form that “looked” human but was not physical or fleshly (because human bodily functions are too icky for God to have to mess with). In response the elder declared that “those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” are deceivers, in fact are antichrist (II John 7)!

The second emphasis is an insistence that you can’t just make up new stuff about Jesus to suit your fancy. “Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (II John 9). This tells us that by the time of the writing of these letters (the middle 60s, according to scholar John A.T. Robinson), there was a consensus emerging about what “the teaching of Christ” was; this included a recognition of the relationship of the Father and the Son. Later generations would ignore this, and make up their own speculative theologies about what they wanted to believe and Christ, such as various gnostic groups within the second century. But early in the second half of the first century, the church was already making a point to convey to one another the reality of the incarnation of the Son, by the will of the Father.

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Ah, Lord Jesus! With glad hearts and voices we confess that you have indeed come in the flesh: you have come to our world, taking on real humanity, born among us, and we are thankful. Teach us to walk in the truth of your incarnation, and in the truth of your gospel, day by day.