Where to begin? I am uncertain because I do not know what you have read or learned elsewhere. For example, did you know that the early church attached the name “John” as the author of this letter because it reflected so much of the spirit of that apostle? The feminine language [“elect lady” (v. 1), “elect sister” (v. 13)] was a common practice of describing the whole church that way. These three letters (1 John, 2 John, 3 John) are not necessarily to the same congregation and not necessarily from the same leader.
It will not surprise you that when the writer of this letter calls on the church to love one another, the writer uses the word agape. We know that agape is more than romantic affection; it is more than sibling friendship. It is a self-giving that does not depend on the deservedness of the one being loved.
If we are indeed to be an agape people, how do we deal with the instruction of this letter when it says not to receive or welcome anyone who brings false teachings (v. 10)? How can that attitude be considered agape? That’s a tough question. Wouldn’t you rather talk about the weather? Wouldn’t you rather talk about who won last night’s football game?
It won’t go away. How is it agape if I do not welcome someone with whom I disagree? I mean, even Jesus ate with sinners!
One possible understanding is that this is the exception that proves the rule. Another interpretation would be to say that by alerting the evil doers to the error of their way we are actually doing them a favor, even agape. Some look at this text and argue that we must at all costs protect the truth of Christ from those who would deny it. Some students of the Bible protest that verses 10 and 11 are aimed at a particular situation in a particular church in a particular time and are not intended to be universally applied.
So, what is God revealing to us in this text? It seems to me that the bottom line is that Jesus Christ is the truth and that His truth is love and living out that love is not always easy.
