How does this letter join love with a warning about false teaching?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Love means living in the truth and keeping God’s commands. The warning about false teachers does not cancel charity toward everyone.

Chapter breakdown

The writer calls himself “the Ancient.” Challoner’s note identifies him as the elderly bishop John. He writes to the lady Elect and her children, whom he loves in the truth. The note says that some readers take Electa to mean a family or a church. It gives the more common view that she is a woman known for her piety and charity. Her identity is therefore not treated as certain.

The writer asks for grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son. He rejoices to find some of her children walking in the truth. He asks them to love one another. This is not a new command: they have heard it from the beginning. Love means living according to God’s commands.

The letter warns about teachers who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. It calls such a person a deceiver and an antichrist. The readers must watch themselves so they do not lose what they have worked for, but receive a full reward. Those who leave Christ’s teaching do not have God. Those who remain in it have both the Father and the Son.

If someone comes without this teaching, the readers must not receive him into the house or wish him “God speed you.” The letter says that this greeting shares in his wicked works. Challoner explains that the warning concerns dangerous closeness to false teachers. It does not forbid charity toward everyone. Christians should still wish and pray for the eternal salvation of all, even their enemies.

The writer has more to say. He hopes to visit and speak face to face so their joy may be full. He closes with greetings from the children of the lady’s elect sister. The letter does not report that the visit took place.

The story inside

The Ancient greets the lady Elect and her children. He rejoices that some walk in the truth and asks them to love one another. He warns against teachers who deny Christ’s coming in the flesh. He hopes to speak face to face and sends greetings from the children of her elect sister.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The letter connects love with keeping God’s commands.
2
Challoner gives more than one view of the lady’s identity.
3
The warning against supporting false teaching still leaves room for wishing and praying for everyone’s salvation.

Test your recall

Why does the letter warn against saying “God speed you” to a false teacher?

Show answer

It says that this greeting shares in the teacher’s wicked works. Challoner adds that charity and prayers for everyone’s salvation are still required.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 138141–138152
1:1. The Ancient to the lady Elect and her children, whom I love in the truth: and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth, The ancient.... That is, the ancient bishop St. John, being the only one of the twelve apostles then living. To the lady Elect.... Some conjecture that Electa might be the name of a family, or of a particular church; but the general opinion is, that it is the proper name of a lady, so eminent for her piety and great charity, as to merit this Epistle from St. John. 1:2. For the sake of the truth which dwelleth in us and shall be with us for ever.
Lines 138168–138176
1:7. For many seducers are gone out into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a seducer and an antichrist. 1:8. Look to yourselves, that you lose not the things which you have wrought: but that you may receive a full reward. 1:9. Whosoever revolteth and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that continueth in the doctrine, the same hath both the Father and the Son.
Lines 138178–138189
1:10. If any man come to you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house nor say to him: God speed you. Nor say to him, God speed you.... This admonition is in general, to forewarn the faithful of the dangers which may arise from a familiarity with those who have prevaricated and gone from the true faith, and with such as teach false doctrine. But this is not forbidding a charity for all men, by which we ought to wish and pray for the eternal salvation of every one, even of our enemies. 1:11. For he that saith unto him: God speed you, communicateth with his wicked works.