Do Not Help False Teachers

¹ From the ·Elder [or old man; ^CGreek: presbyteros, referring to advanced age, a church office, or both; 1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1; see 3 John 1].

To the ·chosen [elect] lady [^Cmost likely a metaphor for a church] and her children [^Cthe members of that church]:

I love all of you in the truth [^Cthe truth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ], and all those who know the truth love you. ² We love you because of the truth that ·lives [abides; remains] in us and will be with us forever.

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

⁴ I ·was very happy [rejoiced greatly] to learn that some of your children are ·following the way of [living by; ^Lwalking in] truth [^Cliving as the Gospel requires], as the Father commanded us. ⁵ And now, dear lady, this is not a new command [^LI am writing] but is the same command we have had from the beginning. I ask you that we all love each other. ⁶ And ·love means [^Lthis is love:] ·living the way God commanded us to live [^Lwalking according to his commands]. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: ·Live a life of love [^LYou must walk in it; ^Cthat is, in love; Rom. 13:1–10].

⁷ [^LFor] Many ·false teachers [deceivers] ·are in [^Lhave gone out into] the world now [Mark 13:5–6, 22] who do not confess that Jesus Christ came to earth ·as a human [^Tin the flesh]. Anyone who does not confess this is ·a false teacher [^Lthe deceiver] and ·an enemy of Christ [^Lthe antichrist; ^Cone who radically opposes Christ; 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3]. ⁸ ·Be careful [Watch] yourselves that you do not lose everything you^[a] have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.

⁹ Anyone who ·goes beyond [runs ahead of] Christ’s teaching and does not ·continue to follow only his teaching [^Labide/remain in it] does not have God. But whoever ·continues to follow [^Labides/remains in] ·the teaching of Christ [^Lthe teaching] has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not ·greet [welcome] that person or ·accept [receive] them into your house. ¹¹ If you welcome such a person, you ·share [participate] in the evil work.

¹² I have many things to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to ·come to [visit] you and talk face to face so ·we can be full of joy [our joy can be complete]. ¹³ The children of your ·chosen [elect] sister [see 1:1; ^Cprobably refers to another church] greet you [3 John 13–14].