FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Read 2 John 4-6 for background to this section.

On the night of his betrayal Jesus admonished the disciples saying, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” – John 13:34. “Love” (agapōmen in the Greek) is a present tense verb, so John calls for consistent active demonstration of the “love ethic” toward one another. Seeing that these words were voiced by our Savior the night before He died adds special weight to them. In using the word “ask,” John appeals to their heart. Genuine affection undergirds the request.

Verses 4 and 5 should be linked closely together. Walking in the truth (obedience) and love for one another go hand in hand. The absence of one will ensure the absence of the other. In addressing the issue of love Howard Marshall notes:

“Christians must love one another. This is the basis of Christian living to which all believers constantly need to be recalled. For the elder it meant practical, costly caring [emphasis mine] for the needy, even readiness to sacrifice oneself for the sake of others (1 John 3:16–18), but at the same time it included real affection for one’s fellow-believers.” ¹

John is rapidly approaching the main purpose of the epistle, and he gently, yet strategically, moves his readers forward. He (John himself) has great joy in them, and the command to love one another is one that is obligatory for himself as well.

Love is a multifaceted concept in John that receives different emphases depending upon the need of the audience. The initial phrase of verse 6 raises an important question: Who is the object of “this love”? Is it God, each other, or both God and fellow believers? If John is focusing upon the believer’s relationship to the Father, we prove our love by being obedient to Him (see 1 John 5:3). If our brothers and sisters in Christ are intended, we show our love for them by also keeping God’s commandments (see 1 John 5:2). It seems best to combine these two options and see the whole family of God as the object of love made evident by obedience to the commands of God. “Walk” is in the present tense and thus conveys the idea of consistency of life; again an action and not just emotion. Because we love God, we want to please Him. When we love others, we are obeying Him.

The alternate use of “commandment” (singular) and “commandments” (plural) has definitely caught the attention of numerous Bible scholars. The word commandment would seem to imply a specific significance in mind: “walk in truth,” “love one another.” Commandments represent the broader requirements and expectations of God overall.

Verse 6 ends slightly vague. The phrase “heard from the beginning” is clear enough. It most probably refers to the beginning of their Christian experience, an experience rooted in the gospel message itself. The Biblical text, however, ends not with the word “love” but the word “it.” A translation that reads “His commandment that you walk in it” is more true to the original text. The question then is to what does “it” refer? Three options have been given: (1) commandment, (2) love, and (3) truth. “Commandment” is the most logical since it is the nearest antecedent, but this creates a redundancy; for example, “This is the commandment . . . that you walk in the commandment.” Most commentators opt for “love,” when considering the “it” of the verse. Dr. Urban von Wahlde, a theologian, points out, however, that nowhere in the entire Johannine body of work is there an example of the phrase “to walk in love.” He proceeds to argue for “truth” as the antecedent of “it” in spite of the fact that “truth” appears earlier on. He notes that clearly the major theme of 2 John is truth and the true message about Jesus. Hence the idea of “it” referring to “truth” prepares the way for the heart of the epistle found in verses 7–11, and it allows John to conclude this section by returning it to the idea of walking in truth.

However, we need to understand that no matter the “letter” of the Word, the commandment by the Father, Himself is to “walk in it.” The “Spirit” of the Word is to be obedient to the whole Word, thus demonstrating our love for it in truth.

¹ Howard Marshall, The Epistles of John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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