2 John 10-11-John Prohibits Financially Supporting Those Rejecting His Apostolic Teaching Because It Would Contribute to Their Evil Deeds
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday June 30, 2013
Second John: 2 John 10-11-John Prohibits Financially Supporting Those Rejecting His Apostolic Teaching Because It Would Contribute to Their Evil Deeds
Lesson # 5
Please turn in your Bibles to 2 John 1.
2 John 1 From the elder, to the elect lady, specifically, her children whom I myself divinely love by means of the truth. Indeed, not only I but also each and every one who knows the truth experientially. 2 Also, I myself divinely love her children because of the truth which, as an eternal spiritual truth does reside in each and every one of us throughout eternity. 3 Grace, compassion, peace originating from God the Father as well as originating from Jesus who is the Christ, who is the Father’s Son will be permitted to exist among each and every one of us by means of truth resulting in divine-love. 4 I was prompted to greatly rejoice because I found some of your children making it a habit of living by means of truth just as we received the command from the Father. 5 Specifically I now make a request of you lady-I am by no means communicating at this particular time in writing to you as it were an unfamiliar command but rather one which we were habitually subjected to from the beginning-that we make it our habit of divinely loving one another. 6 In fact, this is, as an eternal spiritual truth divine-love, namely that we are living according to His commands. This is the command, just as all of you heard through instruction from the beginning, namely that all of you make it your habit of living by means of it. 7 For you see, many deceivers have gone out into the world, those, who do not acknowledge Jesus as the Christ appearing in a human body. This does, as an eternal spiritual truth, identify the deceiver as well as the antichrist. 8 All of you begin and continue to protect yourselves in order that all of you will not lose the things which we have worked hard for but instead obtain a full reward. 9 Each and every person who is a transgressor, specifically, not conforming to the standard of teaching concerning the person of Christ, never, as an eternal spiritual truth, experiences fellowship with God. Those who conform to the standard of teaching concerning the person of Christ, this one is, as an eternal spiritual truth experiencing fellowship with both the Father and the Son. (My translation)
2 John 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting. (NASB95)
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John is employing the figure of “asyndeton” because he is solemnly emphasizing with his readers the importance of this prohibition he is issuing to them here in verse 10.
“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching” is a protasis of a first class condition that indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
The idea behind the first class condition is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that, then...”
This would encourage the reader of this epistle to respond and come to the writer’s conclusion in the apodosis since the reader would already agree with the writer with regards to his statement in the protasis.
Therefore, the apostle John is employing the first class condition as a tool of persuasion with his readers who would respond to his protasis.
In the protasis, John presents the reality of those rejecting the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
Then, in the apodasis he issues a prohibition in light of this reality.
Here the protasis is “if and let assume that it is true for the sake argument that anyone does come into the presence of any one of you but never accepts the apostolic teaching concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that He is the God-man.”
The readers of this epistle would acknowledge that this is the case.
They would acknowledge that some are rejecting the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ since John already pointed out to his readers in verse 7 that this is the case, which has prompted him to write this epistle in the first place.
The apodasis is “(then) do not receive this person into your house church. Specifically, do not communicate in order to attempt to welcome him.”
“If anyone comes to you” refers to an itinerant teacher who rejects the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ that He is the God-man entering into the presence of John’s readers in Ephesus.
“And does not bring this teaching” stands in contrast with the last statement in verse 9 and refers to a teacher who never accepts the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
“Do not receive him into your house” denies any idea of the recipients of this epistle receiving into their house church any one who never accepts the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ, namely that He is the incarnate Son of God.
“And do not give him a greeting” explains in detail the previous prohibition that the recipients of this epistle were to not receive into their house church anyone who rejected the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
It denies any idea of the recipients of this epistle communicating in order to attempt to welcome those who reject the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ, namely that He is the incarnate Son of God.
Therefore, John is prohibiting the recipients of this epistle from welcoming these false teachers who denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
2 John 10 If, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that anyone does at any time come into the presence of any one of you but never accepts this teaching and we agree there are those who don’t then, all of you do not receive him into the home. Specifically, all of you do not communicate for the purpose of attempting to welcome him. (My translation)
This prohibition in 2 John 10 is directly related to the fellowship of the house church, which the recipients of this epistle helped to compose.
By welcoming these false teachers into the fellowship of their house church, they would be aiding and abetting these false teachers.
They would be giving them a place or a platform to propagate their false teaching, which misrepresents who Jesus Christ is and calls the Holy Spirit a liar since the Holy Spirit inspired the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ, that He is the God-man.
In 2 John 10, the apostle John is not instructing his readers to discontinue the practice of Christian hospitality to individuals whether believers or non-believers but rather he simply does not want them to aid in any way those teaching false doctrine and rejecting the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
This interpretation is clearly indicated by John’s statement in 2 John 11, in which he tells his readers the reason for the prohibition in 2 John 10.
By welcoming these false teachers into the fellowship of their house church, John’s readers would be participating in the evil deeds (teaching false doctrine about the person of Jesus Christ) of these false teachers.
3 John 5-8 helps to understand what John requires of his readers with this prohibition in 2 John 10.
In 3 John 5-8, the apostle John teaches the recipients of this epistle to demonstrate God’s love towards itinerant teachers of the gospel by sending them on their way in a manner worthy of God by aiding them financially and materially.
3 John 5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. (NASB95)
These verses indicate that when John issues this prohibition in 2 John 10, he does not want his readers to financially aid the false teachers as they would those who faithfully taught the gospel by adhering to the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
They are not to provide financial or material aid to those teaching false doctrine.
They were only to provide these things for those who were faithfully adhering to the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
By issuing this prohibition in 2 John 10, John is instructing the recipients of this epistle to exercise discernment when dealing with itinerant teachers since not all were serving Jesus Christ but rather some were serving the devil.
Furthermore, if the recipients of this epistle obey John’s prohibition they would be operating according to God’s love since it would confront the false teachers with their error, which in turn could lead to repentance.
If they do not obey this prohibition, they would not be exercising God’s love towards these false teachers since it would encourage them in their sin of teaching false doctrine regarding the person of Jesus Christ.
If they obey this prohibition, they would be demonstrating love towards the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ since they would be attempting to stop the lies which misrepresent who the Son is.
This misrepresentation dishonors the Father who sent His Son into the world to become a human being to save sinners.
If they do not obey this prohibition, they would not love the Father or the Son since it would show a lack of concern for the honor of both.
By obeying the apostle John’s prohibition in 2 John 10, the recipients of this epistle would operate in God’s love towards those false teachers who were not Christians since these individuals can never be justified if they possess an inaccurate understanding of who Jesus Christ is.
If they repent and obey the apostolic teaching that Jesus is both God and man, then their faith in Jesus Christ will result in God the Father declaring them justified.
If they don’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God but also a sinless human being, there is no need to have faith in Him for eternal salvation since only a person who is both God and man can reconcile sinful humanity to a holy God.
Therefore, by not welcoming these false teachers into the fellowship of their house church, the recipients of this epistle would exercise God’s love towards these false teachers since it would confront them with regards to their sin, which if they repented from will lead to the exercise of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Also, by obeying the apostle John’s prohibition here in 2 John 10, the recipients of this epistle would operate in God’s love towards those false teachers who were Christians since these they can never experience fellowship with God by believing and teaching a lie about the God of truth.
By obeying this prohibition, they would be administering church discipline to these apostate Christians.
The purpose of such discipline was to restore them to fellowship with God and the fellowship of the church.
2 John 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. (NASB95)
This verse presents the reason for the apostle John issuing the prohibition in verse 10 to not to welcome into the fellowship of their house church those who reject the apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
The apostle John warns his readers to reject those who reject the apostolic teaching because if they do welcome these people into the fellowship of their church by providing for their financial and material needs they will be “contributing to” that person’s evil deeds.
They are contributing to their evil deeds in the sense that they are supporting these false teachers in teaching false doctrine.
They are enabling these false teachers to continue teaching false doctrine by providing them with financial and material aid.
Those who communicate false doctrine concerning the person of Jesus Christ are committing evil since this action is contrary to the character and nature of God and His will.
They are evil because they are a lie regarding the person of Jesus Christ and are a rejection of the Holy Spirit’s revelation concerning the person of Jesus Christ.
They are evil because they are calling the Holy Spirit a liar by not teaching that Jesus Christ is both God and man.
2 John 11 because the one who at any time does communicate for the purpose of attempting to welcome him does, as an eternal spiritual truth contribute to his actions, which are evil in character. (My translation)
Welcoming these false teachers would involve providing for these false teachers financially and materially, which in turn would encourage these false teachers to continue propagating their lies about the person of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, by welcoming these false teachers into the fellowship of their church, the recipients of this epistle would be aiding and abetting these false teachers or they would be collaborating with them.
John is teaching his readers that they must have no tolerance for false doctrine or anything that dishonors the triune God.
This does not imply being rude to those teaching false doctrine.
Those who are actively engaged in disseminating lies and error concerning Jesus Christ or the Father or the Spirit are to not to be supported with one’s financial or material means.
In fact, by not welcoming these false teachers into their house church, the recipients of this epistle would be exercising discernment since not every teacher is sent by God but some are sent by the devil.
The central concern in 2 John was about the central affirmation of the Christian faith, namely the person of Jesus Christ and His incarnation.
It was not about matters on which Christians may legitimately have differences of opinion.
Therefore, John’s teaching here in 2 John 10-11 makes it clear that the Christian today should investigate carefully the teaching of a man who claims to be Christian.