Command to Love

John uses a simple chiastic structure (a writing style that uses a unique repetition pattern for clarification and emphasis):

• A. command (2 John 1:5)

  • B. love (2 John 1:5)

  • B'. love (2 John 1:6)

• A'. commands (2 John 1:6)

The mark of Christian faithfulness is love for one another. This is nothing new (1 John 2:7-8).

John explained that the definition of love among believers derives from the commands of God. Love is more than mere affection; it is living with each other in the light of God's Word. In light of what was just written in 2 John 1:4, Akin states, "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."

Command to Love. John focuses on Christ's command to love one another (see notes on 1 Jn. 2:7-8). new commandment, from the beginning. See notes on 1 Jn. 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12. The love command is not new, because it goes back to the Law (see note on Lev. 19:18). The example of Jesus' life and death, however, is the ultimate expression of this law (see notes on Jn. 13:34-35). Here, the beginning probably refers to Jesus' earthly ministry (see note on 1 Jn. 2:7). It could also refer to the time John's readers first heard the gospel. In 1 and 2 John, to love one another means to maintain fellowship in the teachings and practices of the Christian community, unlike the opponents who departed. This is not merely showing affection, but living with one another in a way that lines up with God's will, revealed in the Scriptures and by Christ's example.