I tend to believe that the recipient, “the chosen lady”, is likely a cryptic way to address a local church, as John ends the letter with “the children of your chosen sister send their greetings”. This is the basis on which we shall study this letter:
(1) John purposely uses the literary tool of repetition to show his emphases. Read the introductory address in vv. 1-2:
a. How many times is the word “truth” used?
b. Each time that the word appears, a different aspect of the truth is mentioned.
- What or who is the truth that lives in us forever? (Jn. 14:6)
- What then is meant by to “love in the truth”?
- What is meant by to “know the truth”?
(2) In his greeting, what emphasis does he put on who Jesus is?
(3) While his Prologue in the gospel (Jn. 1:14, 17) emphasizes truth and grace, what is the emphasis here in the greeting? (v. 3) Why?
(4) With this emphasis in the greeting, John now turns it into an admonition (vv. 4-6).
a. What is the admonition (or command) which is both old and new that has already been given in 1 John? (1 Jn. 3:11)
b. In giving this command, John used the words “walk” and “walking” a few times: What is he trying to emphasize? (vv. 4, 6)
c. In asking us to “walk”, he mentions both the walking in truth, and the walking in love. Is there a difference?
d. Can we walk in love without truth and vice-versa? Why?
(5) Truth twisted (vv. 7-11)
a. What kind of heresy did the deceivers preach in John’s time? (v. 7)
b. How does such a heresy nullify the work of atonement accomplished by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross? (Heb. 2:14)
c. According to John, who are these deceivers? (v. 7)
d. How would one lose what the Apostles have worked for? (vv. 8-9)
e. What if we hold on to the teaching of the Apostles? (v. 8b and v. 9b)
- What is meant by being “rewarded fully”? (v. 8b)
- What is meant by having “both the Father and Son”? Can the two be separated? (Jn. 10:30)
f. How should we deal with such deceivers and teachers? Why? (vv. 10-11)
(6) How might you put love in action today?
請慢慢細心讀每天指定的經文至少兩遍，然後反復思考問題。
我個人認為「蒙揀選的太太」是那地方教會的隱喻，特別約翰在信末以「你那蒙揀選的姊妹的兒女」作結束。這是我們思想這書信的角度：
(1) 在這書信中約翰是用「重複語句」的方法來帶出他的重點；就在問候的稱呼時，已提到「真理」。
a. 他在這短短的書信中，一共提到「真理」多少次？
b. 每次都是從不同的角度來提到「真理」：
i. 這存在(或譯住在) 我們裡面的真理是什麼？(第 2節；也參約14:6)
ii. 「誠心所愛」，原文直譯是「在真理中愛/love in truth」：這與「誠心所愛」有什麼分別？
iii. 「知道真理」又是什麼意思？
(2) 在這稱呼、問候語中(1-3節) ，他特別提到耶穌是誰？
(3) 約翰在他的福音書中的引言，所著重的是「恩典與真理」(1:14, 17) 。在這書信中是論到真理和什麼呢？(v. 3) ？為什麼？
(4) 既在稱呼、問候語中帶出了「真理」和「愛」：
a. 他提醒他們一條既新亦舊的命令，那是什麼？(第 5節)
b. 在第4-6節中約翰重複了「行」這字，用意何在？
c. 行真理與行出愛是否兩回事？為什麼？
d. 可否單行其一？為什麼？
(5) 真理的扭歪(7-11節)
a. 那些迷惑人的傳什麼異端？(第7節)
b. 這異端試圖破壞什麼福音真理？(來2:14)
c. 約翰說這些迷惑人的其實是誰？(第7節)
d. 如果受迷惑，便會失去所作的什麼工？(應是指使徒所作的) ？
e. 但若能持守著，便會有什麼賞賜？(8-9節)
i. 什麼是「滿足的賞賜」？
ii. 「就有父，又有子」是什麼意思？父與子能分開的嗎？(參約10:30)
f. 我們該怎樣對待這些迷惑人的？為什麼？(10-11節)
(6) 我們今日何以怎樣應用這吩咐？
“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.” (2 Jn. 6)
In this short letter of 2 John, John is writing to someone he calls “the lady chosen by God”. He does not mention her name, and in his closing greetings, he sends greetings on behalf of the “children of your sister, who is chosen by God”. Again, no name is mentioned.
If the the lady is a person, she would obviously be very dear to John. For him to write a letter to her and not mention her name would be rather rude. The same is true of her sister, if she is also a person. Therefore, it is certainly logical to assume that John is addressing a church dear to him in a cryptic way, and perhaps with the looming or increasing persecution that the Christian churches are facing, it is only prudent for him to do so.
The situation of the church is both good news and bad news: Some of them are “walking in the truth” (v. 4). The implication is that some are not and thus John needs to admonish them with the word in vv. 4-6. The reason for so doing is “because deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.” (v. 7)
The admonition is that they should both walk in the truth and in love. In today’s Scripture Reflection I asked the questions: “Can we walk in love without truth and vice-versa?” and “Why?”. I am sure you have already thought about it and have come to some solid answers to the question. But allow me simply to leave you with the following thought:
- Love is the reason why we walk in the truth — in obedience to His commands (v. 6), and
- Only by knowing the truth who is Jesus Christ can we love (1 Jn. 4:19).
「我們若照他的命令行，這就是愛。你們從起初所聽見當行的，就是這命令。」(約貳6)
這短短的書信是約翰寫給一位他稱為「蒙揀選的太太」的，但卻沒有道出她的姓名。在信的末了，他又代「那蒙揀選之姊妹的兒女」來問安；同樣也沒有這出這姊妹的姓名。
如果收信的是一個人，她必定是約翰很親愛的，寫信而不道名，似有點不通，也不禮貌。不道出那信末的「姊妹」名字也是如是。所以一般解經者都認為「蒙揀選的太太」是該處教會的代名，可能為免連累他們受逼迫之故而這樣寫。
如果收信的是教會，那麼這教會是面對著一些挑戰；因雖然約翰稱讚他們中間是有人遵行真理的(v.4) ，這卻意味著也有不遵行真理的人。因此需要約翰加以勸戒( 4-6節) 。個中的原因是“有許多迷惑人的出來，他們不認耶穌基督是成了肉身來的”( 第 7節) 。
約翰就勸戒他們要行在真理中，也要行在愛中。在今天的經文反思的問題中，我們曾思想這個問題：“行真理與行出愛是否兩回事？可否單行其一？” 相信大家已找到很好的答案。容許我提供一點點的補充：
1. 愛是我們行在真理中的原因—為照祂的命令行(第6節)
2. 惟有認識真理—就是主耶穌基督—我們才能行在愛中(約壹4:19) 。