2 John 1:1-3
Grace, Mercy, and Peace
1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—
2because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love.
Berean Standard Bible
The first line does not begin by telling us who the elder is. It begins with the people being addressed: a chosen lady and her children. The elder says he loves them in the truth, and then he widens the sentence. He is not the only one who loves them that way. Everyone who knows the truth shares that love.
The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—
Love and truth are joined before the greeting is finished. The letter does not present love as a private feeling held by one person. It gives a reason for the love: the truth abides in us and will be with us forever. The elder points to the truth living among them and remaining with them. That is the ground he gives for love shared by this household and by all who know the truth.
because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
Then the greeting turns toward its source. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. These are not wishes detached from God. The elder names the Father and the Son as the ones from whom this gift comes, and he places the greeting inside truth and love, naming what will be with us rather than what the household must first produce.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love.
Truth is already abiding in us, and grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, so the letter speaks to people who have been chosen, loved, and given a truth that remains before it asks them to do anything. The greeting gives them a place to stand, and the source of that steadiness is named in God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father.
The opening also shows how the elder wants the letter heard. Love is not set against truth, as though one must be chosen at the expense of the other. Truth is the reason love is shared, and love is where the truth is being lived among people. Jesus Christ stands at the center of the blessing, with the Father, and the blessing is named in the same breath as truth and love.
That is a full beginning for three short verses. A household is named, a wider circle is included, the truth is said to remain, and grace, mercy, and peace are spoken over them. Before the letter reaches its commands, it reminds us whose gift grounds the love it has named.
Questions
1 Who receives the elder's greeting?
AnswerHe addresses a chosen lady and her children. The wording also includes all who know the truth, because the elder says they love this household in the truth as well. The greeting begins with one household but opens outward to everyone who knows the truth.
2 What reason does the elder give for loving them in the truth?
AnswerHe says the truth abides in us and will be with us forever. The shared truth is the reason he gives for the love he has for them. The reason is not a temporary success or a shared preference. It is truth remaining in the people addressed and staying with them.
3 What does the elder say will be with us?
AnswerGrace, mercy, and peace will be with us. He says they come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. The greeting names both the gifts and their source, so the family's hope rests on the Father and the Son rather than on its own strength.
4 How does the opening hold truth and love together?
AnswerLove is shared in the truth, and the truth is what abides in the people being addressed. The blessing from the Father and Jesus Christ is also named in truth and love. The opening refuses to separate a truthful life from loving relationships. The blessing carries the same two words into the life of the household.
What This Means for Us
Let this greeting set the order for the family's response. Thank God the Father for grace, mercy, and peace, and thank him that truth does not have to be made up by us. Then name one way this household can let love take a visible form without leaving truth behind. Ask God to keep Jesus Christ at the center of both, so that our words toward one another carry the blessing we have received from him. Keep the greeting in mind when a conversation becomes difficult, and let its order lead the family back to grace.
Prayer
Father, thank you for grace, mercy, and peace from you and from Jesus Christ, your Son. Keep your truth abiding in us, and let our love for one another rest there. Guard this household from separating truth and love. Make us thankful for all who know the truth with us. Amen.