2 John 1:3

ἔσται μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ παρὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ.

Translation:

³ Grace, mercy and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

Commentary:

ἔσται is the 3^rd person singular future middle indicative verb of εἰμί meaning “I am”. It is interesting to note that the verb constitutes three different characteristics or attributes of God yet is written in the singular form. This is intriguing because any numerical value above the number one is generally represented as being plural [i.e. singular vs. plural]. However, this may reveal that, for believers in Christ, we are not receiving God or His truth in bits and pieces, but rather in one lump sum.

Therefore, these are not three separate gifts having no relation to each other but are representative of the whole package. John is encapsulating what will forever remain in our possession [i.e. God’s truth]. I was explaining this to my wife and she reminded me of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit is comprised of nine characteristics [at least, nine that are listed] and yet it is still one singular fruit. Paul’s illustration of the “fruit” in Galatians is likened to John’s use of the Greek verb here in this passage.

There are three prepositional phrases listed in this verse. The first is ἔσται μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη. The reality and effects of this truth will [future tense] forever remain with us as believers in Christ. The second prepositional phrase is παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ παρὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς which is be discussed further in the next two paragraphs. The third is ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ which tells us these gifts are not only truly ours, but they have also been given to us out of God’s extravagant love.

χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη are three nouns which, when translated, mean “grace, mercy and peace”. παρὰ is the preposition “from” which reveals both the ownership and source of the three nouns. They are from both God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ παρὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς is the prepositional phrase which includes two of the three members of the Trinity.

How often do we tend to view God in parts? I feel that many times we see the Father as the strict Judge and the Son standing between us and Him shielding us from the Father’s wrath. Is this correct theology? Well, to be honest, no. This verse is showing us that both the Father and His Son are on our side. Grace, mercy and peace are given to us from the fullness of the Godhead. This is good news for us who are in Christ.

*Continue on with 2 John 1:4

2 John 1:2

διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τὴν μένουσαν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Translation:

² on account of the truth which remains in us and will be with us into the age.

Commentary:

διὰ, when followed by a word in the accusative case, tends to have the meaning of either “on account of” or “because of”. τὴν ἀλήθειαν refers to “the truth” as was previously discussed in verse one. Again, this truth that John is speaking of is not the subject or the action of the sentence, but the reason for the action – the logic behind the verb. Thus, verse two begins with saying “on account of the truth” or “because of the truth”.

τὴν μένουσαν is the first of two verbs presented within this verse. It is an accusative singular feminine present active participle meaning “to remain”. Since the verb is preceded by the article “τὴν”, we know that it is acting adjectivally. Therefore, the verb is aided by the addition of the key word “which”. Thus, the translation reads, “…which remains….”

Where, or with whom, does this truth currently remain? The answer is, “ἐν ἡμῖν”, which, when translated, means, “in us”. This truth is in us [i.e. believers in Christ]. We are the partakers of the truth, and it is this truth, which unites us in love for one another. However, this truth is not just a current possession that we have right now. John continues his thought by stating, “καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.” What the apostle is saying is that “…this truth will be with us forever.”

Two interesting things happened to “μεθ᾽”. First, since the next word begins with a vowel, it dropped its own final vowel in order to make room for a smoother glide into the following pronoun “ἡμῶν”. The apostrophe at the end shows the reader that an elision has taken place. Second, the “τ” on the end transformed into a “θ” since the following pronoun’s frontal vowel contains a rough breathing mark. The reason this happens in the Greek text is to help with pronunciation.

Both of the pronouns: “ἡμῖν” and “ἡμῶν” are written in the 1^st person plural form indicating personal ownership [i.e. this is for us or this is ours]. ἔσται is the second and final verb in the verse. It is written as the 3^rd person singular future middle indicative of the verb “εἰμί”, which means, “I am”.

“εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα” literally reads, “into the age” or “into eternity”. However, a better way of translating this phrase for our context would simply be to sum it up in the word “forever”. This would meet both the desire to remain faithful to the text and also to clearly state the intended meaning of the passage. The truth that we share in Christ and the expression of love which naturally flows from it will govern our lives for the rest of eternity. In the same way that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:38-39), the same is equally foundational to the Christian faith that nothing will separate us from the truth of God.

*Continue on with 2 John 1:3

2 John 1:1

Ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῆς, οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἀλήθειαν,

Translation:

1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I myself love in truth, and not I alone but also all who know the truth,

Characters:

1.      The elder – John the Apostle.

2.      The chosen lady – A local church.

3.      Her children – Members of the church.

4.      All who know the truth – All Christians.

Commentary:

Ὁ πρεσβύτερος is in the nominative case which indicates that the elder is the subject of the sentence. He is the one:

1.      Writing the letter.

2.      Expressing his feelings.

3.      Offering Encouragement.

There is no stated verb in the first clause. The first piece of this verse is merely offering an introduction. Further, every clause in this verse is dependent upon the whole.

οὓς is a relative pronoun meaning “whom” and introduces a relative clause [οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ]. οὓς modifies the noun “lady” and is in itself accusative plural. Whom does the elder love? The elder loves both the lady and her children. The pronoun is accusative which shows that it is the object/recipient of the elder’s love. It is plural because the lady [i.e. the local church] consists of many members.

ἀγαπῶ is the first verb in the sentence meaning “love”. However, the 1^st person singular case ending (ῶ) shows us that the subject is held within the verb. Thus, ἀγαπῶ means “I love”. Yet, ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ also means “I love” since ἐγὼ is the 1^st person singular personal pronoun. Therefore, since the subject is expressed on the inside and outside of the verbal form, I am drawn to translate it as “I myself love” in order to add emphasis to the elder’s statement.

The elder continues by saying “καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἀλήθειαν”.

οὐκ adds the negation. What the elder is saying is that “…it is not only I who love you, but also all who know the truth.” This is where ἀλλὰ comes into play which means “but” here in this context. The elder encourages either this lady or these believers [depending upon which interpretation you lean toward] with the fact that there is a universal love that all of us Christians share in the truth and have for one another. This love is neither sourced in the elder nor is it his expression alone, but it is a common Christian love that is sourced in and expressed through the truth which is something that all believers share in Christ.

*Continue on with 2 John 1:2