2 John 1:6

6. And this is love] Or, And the love is this: the love which I mean consists in this (see on 1Jn_1:5). In 2Jn_1:5 obedience prompts love; here love prompts obedience. This is no vicious logical circle, but a healthy moral connexion, as is stated above on 2Jn_1:4. Love divorced from duty will run riot, and duty divorced from love will starve. See on 1Jn_5:3. The Apostle has no sympathy with a religion of pious emotions: there must be a persevering walk according to God’s commands. In writing to a woman it might be all the more necessary to insist on the fact that love is not a mere matter of feeling.

This is the commandment] Or, as before, The commandment is this, i.e. consists in this. We had a similar transition from plural to singular, ‘commandments’ to ‘commandment’ in 1Jn_3:22-23.

In these verses (5, 6) S. John seems to be referring to the First Epistle, which she would know.

as ye have heard] Better, as R. V., even as ye heard, referring to the time when they were first instructed in Christian Ethics. See on ‘received’ in 2Jn_1:4. R. V. is also more accurate in placing ‘that’ after, instead of before, ‘even as ye heard’. But A. V. is not wrong, for ‘even as ye heard’ belongs to the apodosis, not to the protasis: still, this is interpretation rather than translation.

ye should walk in it] In brotherly love; not, in the commandment, as the Vulgate implies. S. John speaks of walking in (ἐν) truth, in light, in darkness; but of walking according to (κατά) the commandments. S. Paul speaks both of walking in love (Eph_5:2) and according to love (Rom_14:15). Neither speaks of walking in commandments: and in Luk_1:6 a different verb is used. Moreover the context here is in favour of ‘in it’ meaning in love.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Jn_1:6

This is love, that we walk after His commandments.

Love, the principle of obedience

I. Love as the principle of obedience.

1. The excellency of this principle. It renders obedience.

(1) Divinely acceptable.

(2) Delightful to ourselves. What are the most pleasing actions you ever performed? was a question once addressed to a man, and who answered, The services I have performed for those whom I love.

(3) Perpetual. Christs people are not detained in His service against their will; they are volunteers, made willing in the day of His power.

(4) Impartial.

(a) In avoiding all sins.

(b) In performing all duties.

2. How is this love produced and maintained? Power may cause a man to be feared; authority, to be reverenced; wealth, to be envied; learning, to be admired; genius, to be praised; but it is only goodness that chains one heart to another. And this is the grand and only expedient that God has devised and revealed to bring back the minds of His alienated creatures to Himself. Keep yourselves in the love of God.

II. Obedience as the fruit of love.

1. It is practical, consisting in nothing less than walking. In Scripture you will observe, that walking never refers to a single action, but always to our conduct at large. Everything else, however valuable in connection with this, will be found vain without it. Even endowments and exertion will not be substitutes for obedience.

2. It is prescribed. Walking shows that religion is not a speculation, a notion, a pretence, for we are not merely to walk, but we are to walk after His commandments--not after the course of this world--not according to the lusts of men--not according to the imagination of our hearts, but to walk after His commandments. (W. Jay.)

Love the great commanding commandment

Love is in the heart, the great commanding commandment, that commands all other duties whatsoever. It is the first wheel that turns the whole soul about. (R. Sibbes.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Jn 1:6-7. And this is love — The principal proof of true love, first to God, and then to his people; that we walk after his commandments — That we be obedient to his will in all things. This love is the great commandment, which ye have heard from the beginning — Of our preaching; that ye should walk in it — Should persevere in love. For many deceivers, &c. — See on 1Jn 4:1 : as if he had said, Carefully keep what you have heard from the beginning; for many seducers are come; who confess not that Jesus Christ is come — Or came, as ερχομενον (considered as the participle of the imperfect) may be rendered; for Jesus Christ was not on earth in the flesh when John wrote this; as the translation in our Bible, is come, imports. He had come in the flesh, but was gone. So that no translation of this clause, which represents Jesus Christ as then present, can be just. The apostle alludes to the rise of those heretics, who affirmed that Christ came only in appearance; and who, of course, denied his priestly, if not also his prophetic and kingly office. This — Every one who does this, who does not acknowledge that Christ came in the flesh; is a deceiver — A seducer from God; and antichrist — An enemy to Christ.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Jn 1:6. Αὐτοῦ, of Him) the Father, 2Jn 1:4.—ἐν αὐτῇ, in it) in love. This verse contains a very pleasing Epanodos.[5]—ΠΕΡΙΠΑΤῆΤΕ, ye walk) He had just before said, that we walk. Now the second person answers to the verb, ye have heard; that is, from us the apostles.

[5] Repetition of the same words in inverse order. See Append.—E.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Jn 1:6 . ἡ ἀγάπη , “the love just referred to”. περιπ . κατὰ τὰς ἐντ . αὐτ ., regulating our lives by their requirements; περιπ . ἐν ἀληθείᾳ (2Jn 1:4 ), keeping within the limits of the Christian revelation and not straying beyond them not προάγοντες (2Jn 1:9 ). αὐτῇ , i.e. , “love,” not “the commandment” (Vulg.: Hoc est mandatum, ut … in eo ambuletis ). περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀγάπῃ is synonymous with περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ , since Love is Truth in practice. Cf. the story of R. Hillel: A mocking Gentile promised to become a proselyte if he would teach him the whole Law while he stood on one foot a gibe at the multitudinous precepts, reckoned at 613. “What is hateful to thyself,” said the Rabbi, “do not to thy neighbour. This is the whole Law; the rest is commentary.” Yalk. Chad. , lix. 2; “qui justum cibat frusto, perinde est acsi totum Pentateuchum servasset”.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη. And the love is this: the love which I mean consists in this (see on 1Jn 1:5). In 2Jn 1:5 obedience prompts love; here love prompts obedience. This is no vicious logical circle, but a healthy moral connexion, as is stated above on 2Jn 1:4. Love divorced from duty will run riot, and duty divorced from love will starve. See on 1Jn 5:3. The Apostle has no sympathy with a religion of pious emotions: there must be a persevering walk according to God’s commands. In writing to a woman it might be all the more necessary to insist on the fact that love is not a mere matter of feeling.

αὕτη ἡ ἐντολή ἐστιν. As before, The commandment is this, i.e. consists in this. We had a similar transition from plural to singular, ‘commandments’ to ‘commandment’ in 1Jn 3:22-23. For αὔτη … ἵνα see 1Jn 5:3.

In these verses (5, 6) S. John seems to be referring to the First Epistle, which she would know.

καθὼς ἠκούσατε. As R.V., even as ye heard, referring to the time when they were first instructed in Christian Ethics. See on καθὼς ἐντ. ἐλάβομεν in 2Jn 1:4. R.V. is also more accurate in placing ‘that’ after, instead of before, ‘even as ye heard’. But A.V. is not wrong, for ‘even as ye heard’ belongs to the apodosis, not to the protasis: still, this is interpretation rather than translation.

ἐν αὐτῇ. In brotherly love; not, in the commandment, as the Vulgate implies. S. John speaks of walking in (ἐν) truth, in light, in darkness; but of walking according to (κατά) the commandments. S. Paul speaks both of walking in love (Eph 5:2) and according to love (Rom 14:15). Neither speaks of walking in commandments: and in Luk 1:6 a different verb is used. Moreover the context here is in favour of ἐν αὐτῇ meaning in love.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

"Love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom 13:10), and the fulfilling of the law is the sure test of love.

This is the commandment--Greek, "The commandment is this," namely, love, in which all God's other commandments are summed up.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 6. And this is love] That is, our love is shown and proved by our walking according to the commandments of God; for love is the principle of obedience.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments,.... By observing them as a rule of conversation, in so doing love is shown to God; and such may expect the fresh discoveries of the love of God to, them; See Gill on Jo1 5:3;

this is the commandment, that as ye have heard from the beginning,

ye should walk in it; that is, this is the will of God, that his people should walk in the truth of the Gospel, and abide by it, as they heard and received it at their first conversion, from the mouths of the apostles, or other faithful ministers of the word; a reason for which, is given in Jo2 1:7.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Ver. 6. As ye have heard] He studiously declines the suspicion of novelty. Τα καινα κενα. {See Trapp on "1Jn 2:7"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments - This is the proper expression or evidence of love to God. See the notes at Joh 14:15, Joh 14:21.

This is the commandment - That is, this is his great and special commandment; the one by which his disciples are to be especially characterized, and by which they are to be distinguished in the world. See the notes at Joh 13:34.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

This is the rule of a Christian and Catholic to walk in that faith and worship which he hath received from the beginning, and which we now call according to the Scriptures, the tradition of the apostles. Thus shall the faithful avoid seducers that start up in every age, teaching new doctrines. (Bristow)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

From this particular command he passes to what is more general, requiring in all things a strict and unanimous adherence to the pure and primitive doctrine of the gospel, which would be the best expression of love to God, and the true centre and bond of love to one another, as 1Jo 5:1,3.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. This… love—It is not a mere emotion palpitating in the breast. If genuine the love will be alive. It will shape itself into an outward walk, a walk coinciding with the divine law, or commandment; namely, Christ’s “golden rule” of love.

In it—In love.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And this is love; i.e., the love which the commandment enjoins consists in this active and unremitting obedience. Just as in the sphere of thought truth must be combined with love (see on verse 3), so in the sphere of emotion love must be combined with obedience. Warm feelings, whether towards God or towards man, are worse than valueless if they are not united, on the one hand with obedience, on the other with truth. This was the elect lady"s danger; in the exuberance of her chanty she was forgetting her obligations to the truth and the commandment.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And this is the proof of true love, universal obedience built on the love of God. This - Love. Is the great commandment which ye have heard from the beginning - Of our preaching.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

As if our apostle had said, "By this we shall make it evidently appear that there is the true love of God in us, if we endeavour to frame our lives according to his commandments;" and this, he assures them, was the great commandment, which they heard from the beginning, when the gospel was preached unto them, namely, that they should believe in Christ, and love one another, and constantly persevere in the practice of these duties.

Learn hence, That obedience is the natural effect and necessary product of love, so is it the best evidence, the surest mark and sign of it. This is the love of God; that is, the surest evidence that we love him, if we keep his commandments.

Learn, 2. That it is not sufficient that we profess love to God and our neighbour, but we must walk in love, and be found in the exercise, yea, in the persevering exercise, of that grace and duty: This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. And this is love, etc. Keeping the commandments is the demonstration of love. Compare 1 John 5:3, and John 14:15, 14:23.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

6.] And (“eine eigenthumliche Kreisbewegung der Gedanken, wie Johannes sie liebt.” Düsterd.) this is the love (ἡ ἀγάπη here is subject, not predicate: the love (intended by this command) is this, i. e. may be thus described), that (the explicative ἵνα of St. John) we walk according to His commandments. The commandment (the one commandment in which God’s other commandments are summed up) is this, even as ye heard from the beginning that ye should walk in it (the apodosis to αὕτη ἐστίν begins with καθώς: = “is this, even that which ye heard from the beginning, that ye should walk in it,” viz. in ἀγάπη.

ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, as above, ver. 5, and 1Jn 2:7).

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. αὕτη ἐστίν … ἵνα] Cf. 1Jn 5:3, 1Jn 3:23. In the first Epistle the love which is said to consist in the “keeping” of His commandments is more clearly defined as the love of God. Here it is left undefined. The immediate context (ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους) suggests that the writer is thinking especially of Christian brotherly love. The highest expression of this love is found in obedience to all the commands (however variously expressed) which God has enjoined in regulation of the relations between brethren. The clearest expression of love is obedience to the will of God, so far as He has revealed His will in definite precepts. It is quite in the writer’s style to make the more absolute statement, even if he is thinking particularly of a special application.

αὕτη ἣ ἐντολή ἐστιν] The order of the words, if this is the true text, lays stress on ἡ ἐντολή. This is the one command in which all precepts are summed up.καθὼς ἠκούσατε] If the reading ἵνα καθώς is correct, the ἵνα which precedes ἐν αὐτῇ must be resumptive. Cf. 1Jn 3:20, according to a possible interpretation of that verse. The omission of ἵνα certainly appears to be an attempt at simplification. In either case the clause must be taken with what follows, and regarded as thrown forward for the sake of emphasis.

ἵνα … περιπατῆτε] In order to avoid the appearance of tautology most commentators interpret ἐν αὐτῇ as referring to ἀγάπη, the main subject of the verse. It would be tempting to refer it to the subject of the sentence ἀληθεία (ver. 4). The one command is that we should walk in truth as we have heard it from the beginning. This would suit the following verse. But the more natural reference is to the command. Cf. the Vulgate rendering in eo (sc. mandato). If this is possible, the emphasis must be on περιπατεῖν and καθὼς ἠκούσατε. The command which sums up all the precepts, which men show their love in obeying, is the command to active obedience to God’s will as it has been revealed from the beginning of the Christian life, to “abide” in what they have always known, and to let it regulate their whole conduct and life.

και … αγαπη] om. aeth. | αυτου] του θῡ Ia 70 (505) | αυτη 20] pr. et arm. boh-ed. | η εντολη] post εστιν א (+αυτου) L P al. pler. ugcle et. demid. harl. tol. sah. cop. arm. Lcif. Thphyl. Oec. | καθως… περιπατητε] ut incedamus in hoc quod audiuistis antiquitus aeth. | καθως B ñ P al. pler. syrbodl et p Lcif. Thphyl. Oec] pr. ινα א A K 13. 31. 73. al. mu. cat. vg. sah. cop. arm. | ινα 20] om. K 13 al. mu. cat. vg. sah. boh. (uid.) arm. | εν αυτη] om. Ia 175 (319) | περιπατητε] περιπατειτε L 13 al. aliq. Thphyl.: περιπατησητε א: incedamus arm-codd. boh-ed.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Love [η αγαπη] . The love just mentioned in the verb we love. That [ινα] . See on Joh 14:13.

After His commandments [κατα τας εντολας αυτου] . For walk, with kata after, according to, see Mr 7:5; Rom 8:4; Rom 14:15; 1Co 3:3; 2Co 10:2. Very often with ejn in. See Joh 8:12; Joh 11:9, 10; 2Co 4:2; 1Jo 1:7, 11. Both constructions are found 2Co 10:2, 3.

From the beginning [απ αρχης] . See on Joh 1:1.

In it [εν αυτη] . In love : not the commandment.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.