INTRODUCTION
On Friday, March 15, 2024, Mark Sanderson gave a talk on JW Broadcasting telling about some new treatments of serious wrongdoers. (2024 Governing Body Update # 2). A letter entitled “Adjustments to handling serious wrongdoing in the congregation” was sent to the elders. Sanderson mentioned that the members of the Governing Body had come up with a new interpretation of 2 John 9-11, namely, that Johns’s words do not refer to all disfellowshipped persons but only to apostates. I will now analyze this new viewpoint in the light of the context of John’s letters. And my first task is to make an outline of these letters from the point of view of true and false doctrines.
| The persons whom Christians should not receive into their homes and greet, are only the antichrists who deny that “Jesus is the Christ” and deny “Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” An application to other people is a false application of the words of John and an abuse of the Word of God. |
THE TWO THEMES OF THE LETTERS OF JOHN
In his writings, John speaks about “the truth” (alētheia). In his gospel, the word is used 24 times, in 1 John, it is used nine times, in 2 John six times, and in 3 John five times. His letters have two themes that are related: 1) John is praising those to whom the letters are addressed because they are walking in the truth, in the Christian religion, believing in Jesus Christ and his Father. 2) John is warning them about the deceivers and the antichrists.
THE PRAISES
Below I quote the praises of John: 1 John 2:12-14 (above), 2 John 4 (middle), and 3 John 3, 4 (below):
12 I am writing YOU, little children, because YOUR sins have been forgiven YOU for the sake of his name. 13 I am writing YOU, fathers, because YOUhave come to know him who is from [the] beginning. I am writing YOU, young men, because YOU have conquered the wicked one. I write YOU, young children, because YOU have come to know the Father. 14 I write YOU, fathers, because YOU have come to know him who is from [the] beginning. I write YOU, young men, because YOU are strong and the word of God remains in YOU and YOU have conquered the wicked one.
4 I rejoice very much because I have found certain ones of your children walking in the truth, just as we received commandment from the Father.
3 For I rejoiced very much when brothers came and bore witness to the truth you hold, just as you go on walking in the truth. 4 No greater cause for thankfulness do I have than these things, that I should be hearing that my children go on walking in the truth.
THE WARNINGS
Below I quote the warnings of John in his here letters:
1 John 2:18-19
18 Young children, it is the last hour, and, just as YOU have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there have come to be many antichrists; from which fact we gain the knowledge that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us. But [they went out] that it might be shown up that not all are of our sort. I write YOU, not because YOU do not know the truth, but because YOU know it, and because no lie originates with the truth.
1 John 2:22-24
22 Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one that denies the Father and the Son. 23 Everyone that denies the Son does not have the Father either. He that confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for YOU, let that which YOU have heard from [the] beginning remain in YOU. If that which YOU have heard from [the] beginning remains in YOU, YOU will also abide in union with the Son and in union with the Father.
1 John 4:1-3
1 Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. 2 YOU gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, 3 but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God. Furthermore, this is the antichrist’s [inspired expression] which YOU have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world.
2 John 7-11
7 For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
3 John 9-10
9 I wrote something to the congregation, but Di·otʹre·phes, who likes to have the first place among them, does not receive anything from us with respect. 10 That is why, if I come, I will call to remembrance his works which he goes on doing, chattering about us with wicked words. Also, not being content with these things, neither does he himself receive the brothers with respect, and those who are wanting to receive them he tries to hinder and to throw out of the congregation.
THE FOCUS ON JESUS CHRIST — THE TRUTH AND THE LIE
John is fond of contrasts, and he expresses the true and false teachings as contrasts.
THE TRUE VIEW OF JESUS CHRIST
As mentioned, John is fond of the word “truth.” This refers to the teachings of the true religion, and the focus of the truth is Jesus Christ and his Father, as we see in the quotations below:
1 John 3:23
23 Indeed, this is his commandment, that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and be loving one another, just as he gave us commandment.
1 John 4:15
15 Whoever makes the confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God remains in union with such one and he in union with God.
1 John 5:1
1 Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God, and everyone who loves the one that caused to be born loves him who has been born from that one.
1 John 5:5
5 Who is the one that conquers the world but he who has faith that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:10
10 The [person] putting his faith in the Son of God has the witness given in his own case.
2 John 3
3 There will be with us undeserved kindness, mercy [and] peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, with truth and love.
Because a son has a father, denying the Son, also means denying that the father is father. Therefore, those who have the Son also have the Father, and those who deny the Son also deny the Father.
THE WRONG VIEW OF JESUS CHRIST
John uses contrasts in order to distinguish between the lie and the truth. Above I have quoted the positive sides of the belief in Jesus, the truth. These positive sides have been rejected by the deceivers and the antichrists, and this is shown by the quotations below.
1 John 2:18-23
18 Young children, it is the last hour, and, just as YOU have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there have come to be many antichrists; from which fact we gain the knowledge that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us. But [they went out] that it might be shown up that not all are of our sort. 20And YOU have an anointing from the holy one; all of YOU have knowledge. 21 I write YOU, not because YOU do not know the truth, but because YOU know it, and because no lie originates with the truth. 22 Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one that denies the Father and the Son. 23 Everyone that denies the Son does not have the Father either. He that confesses the Son has the Father also.
1 John 4:2, 3
2 YOU gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, 3 but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus [as having come in the flesh, verse 2] does not originate with God. Furthermore, this is the antichrist’s [inspired expression] which YOU have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world.
2 John 7
7 For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
As both the positive and the negative quotations show, the focus is on God’s Son Jesus Christ. The teaching of the deceivers and the antichrists was the denial “that Jesus is the Christ” (1 John 2:22; 5:1), and “Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh” (2 John 7) Persons with this wrong belief had already come, according to John. In his third letter, John warns against Diotrephes, who did not treat his brothers in a Christian manner but disfellowshipped some of them from the congregation for the wrong reasons.
The identification of the false teachers can be found by analyzing the expression: “not confessing Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh.” The use of “Christ” together with “Jesus” implies the persons did not deny that a man with this name had lived on the earth. So, the denial had to relate to the nature of this man. The Pre-Gnostic Cerinthos lived at the same time as the apostle John. He taught that Jesus was a mere man, though being holy. At his baptism, Christ, or the holy spirit, was sent from heaven and dwelt in the man Jesus. Thus, Jesus had come in the flesh but not Christ. When Jesus was fastened to the pole, Christ left Jesus, and it was only the man Jesus who died. This may have been the false teaching that John had in mind when he wrote his letters. In any case, there was a wrong view in connection with the nature of Jesus Christ that the antichrists taught.
In an online article discussing the subject “What is the coming of Christ” some misconceptions about this coming are discussed, and we read:
Misconception; The words of 2 John 7 show that Jesus will come in the flesh.
Fact: The Bible verse states: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those not acknowledging Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.”
In the apostle John’s day, some denied that Jesus had come to this earth as a man. They were called Gnostics. Second John 7 was written to refute their false claim.[1]
[1]. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/jesus-coming/.
This means that the deceivers and antichrists were not persons who had been Christians and who had been disfellowshipped from their congregations. But they were persons who had their own religion, a religion that used some of the writings of the Christians but whose doctrines were different from the Christian doctrines.
The words “went out from us” in 1 John 2:19 does not mean that the antichrists were persons who had left their Christian congregations. The article “The Witnesses are hoodwinked by the application of 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 2 John 7-11” analyzes these words. The conclusion is that both the grammar and the context suggest that the Gnostics “went out from “ours,” from something that belongs to us. The doctrines of the religion of the Gnostics were different from the religion of the Christians. But they had originally based many of their doctrines on Jewish and Christian writings, and therefore it could be said that they “went out from ours.” They believed in Jesus but not in the Jesus described by the Christian writings.
ANALYZING 2 JOHN 9-11 IN THE LIGHT OF ITS CONTEXT
The letter from the Governing Body to the bodies of elders said regarding 2 John 9-11:
3 (3) We also clarified our understanding of 2 John 9-11, which we learned applies specifically to apostates and others who actively promote wrong conduct, not to all those who have been removed from the congregation.
23 Second John 9-11 warns us of a contaminating influence, saying: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.” Who are Christians instructed to avoid? The context indicates that this refers to “everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching,” and therefore it applies to apostates and those who actively promote wrong conduct. Such ones should not be greeted by individual Christians, visited by the elders, or invited to attend Christian meetings.
This new interpretation is completely flawed because it contradicts the context instead of being supported by the context. I will not consider the contexts of the letters of John, and then make a detailed analysis of the context of 2 John 6-11. Below I quote these words:
6 And this is what love means, that we go on walking according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as YOU people have heard from [the] beginning, that YOU should go on walking in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
8 Look out for yourselves, that YOU do not lose the things we have worked to produce, but that YOU may obtain a full reward. 9 Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching (didakhē) of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching (didakhē) is the one that has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching (didakhē), never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. 11 For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.
The issue is who these persons were whom Christians should not receive into their homes and greet. The present view of the members of the Governing Body is that these people are disfellowshipped apostates but that the words do not refer to other disfellowshipped persons. This is a completely wrong viewpoint because John does not speak about disfellowshipped persons, be they apostates or not, in his letters.
THE CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF 2 JOHN 9-11
The understanding of these verses is quite simple if the grammar and the context are considered, and the reader does not interpret the verses in the light of preconceived ideas:
- Which people should Christians not receive into their homes and greet? The clear answer is: “Anyone (who) does not bring this teaching (didakhē)”?
- Because of the article before “teaching,” thus making “teaching” definite, this teaching” must refer back to something that already is mentioned. What is its antecedent?
- The words “this teaching” (didakhē) are also mentioned in verse 9, and both expressions “this teaching” refer back to the words at the beginning of verse 9, namely “the teaching (didakhē) of the Christ.”
- What is “the teaching (didakhē) of the Christ.”? The answer is found in verse 7, “confessing Jesus Christ as comingin the flesh.”
- Who were the “persons not confessing Jesus Christ as comingin the flesh”?
- Those who were not “confessing Jesus Christ as comingin the flesh,” according to verse 7 were the deceivers and the antichrists.
- So, the simple answer to the questions in point 1) is that those whom the Christians should receive into their homes and greet were the deceivers and the antichrists!
THE WRONG UNDERSTANDING OF 2 JOHN 9-11
The letter to the elders says:
Who are Christians instructed to avoid? The context indicates that this refers to “everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching,” and therefore it applies to apostates and those who actively promote wrong conduct.
This is a shortcut showing that the members of the Governing Body try to read their preconceived ideas into the words of John, and at the same time the context is ignored. If we apply Greek or English grammar and syntax to 2 John 7-11, it is impossible to contradict the seven points above. The persons whom Christians should avoid were the deceivers and the antichrists! John had already warned about these persons in his first letter.
But how should we understand the words of 2 John 8 and 9?
8 Look out for yourselves, that YOU do not lose (apollumi, aorist subjunctive) the things we have worked to produce, but that YOU may obtain (apolambanō, aorist subjunctive) a full reward. 9 Everyone that pushes ahead (proagō, present participle) and does not remain (menō, present participle) in the teaching (didakhē) of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching (didakhē) is the one that has both the Father and the Son.
In contrast with verses 7, 10, and 11, that express a factual historic situation — deceivers and antichrists had gone forth — verses 8 and 9 are hypothetical. They refer to possible actions that may occur in the future. In. vers 8, John warns Christians that they must look out so they do not lose what they have worked for and lose their reward. This is shown by the Greek verbs translated as “lose” and “obtain,” which are aorist subjunctives. Greek subjunctive is similar to English conjunctive and refers to possibilities and not to facts. But without understanding Greek or English grammar, any reader of verse 8 will understand that it does not refer to things that have happened but to things that may occur in the future.
What can we say about verse 9? There are no verbs in the subjunctive in verse 9. However, the verbs “push ahead” and “remain” are present participles, and participles can refer both to factual and hypothetical situations. Anyone who read the English text of verse 9, will understand that the actions have not occurred but may occur in the future. New Jerusalem Bible has a rendering stating explicitly that the actions are hypothetical:
9 If anybody does not remain in the teaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he does not have God with him: only those who remain in what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them.
The false interpretation of the members of the Governing Body is as follows:
- Which people should Christians not receive into their homes and greet? The clear answer is: “Everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching.”
- These are future apostates from the Christian congregations who actively promote wrong conduct.
- This means that John does not tell his readers that they must avoid the deceivers and antichrists who already had come. But John’s words refer to persons in the future who will be disfellowshipped because they are apostates.
The interpretation of the members of the Governing Body is that John referred to Christians in the future who will become apostates, and these persons must be avoided. So, John’s words are very restricted, according to the members of the Governing Body. They do not refer to those who already had denied that Jesus is the Christ and had denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh. But they refer to a future group of people who had left the Christian congregation.
Based on this false interpretation, the members of the Governing Body claim that they have Scriptural basis for shunning those who they say are apostates.
| Those whom Christians shall not receive into their homes and greet, are those who deny that “Jesus is the Christ” and that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” An application of John’s words in 2 John verses 10 and 11 to so-called apostates is a false interpretation and a violation of Bible truths. |
CONCLUDING REMARKS
It is clear that those whom Christians should not receive into their homes and greet were the deceivers and antichrists who already had come in the days of John. But what can we say about the words “everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching” in verse 9? These words can be united with all the other words in verses 7-11.
John does not say that some Christians in the future will be pushing ahead and will not remain in the teaching about the Christ. But he says that if that happens, he or she will become a part of the antichrist. So, John’s commandment is clear. Christians must not receive into their homes of greet those who already have denied that Jesus is the Christ and that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. And if someone in the future will follow the same course, these are antichrists just as those whose example they follow. Christians must avoid these persons as well.
