2 John 1:6

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.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

2 John 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 1 John 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.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

1:4-6 It is good to be trained to early religion; and children may be beloved for their parents' sake. It gave great joy to the apostle to see children treading in their parents' steps, and likely in their turn to support the gospel. May God bless such families more and more, and raise up many to copy their example. How pleasing the contrast to numbers who spread irreligion, infidelity, and vice, among their children! Our walk is true, our converse right, when according to the word of God. This commandment of mutual Christian love, may be said to be a new one, in respect of its being declared by the Lord Christ; yet, as to the matter, it is old. And this is love to our own souls, that we obey the Divine commands. The foresight of the decay of this love, as well as of other apostacies, or fallings away, might engage the apostle to urge this duty, and this command, frequently and earnestly.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 John 14:15, John 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 John 13:34.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. "Love is the fulfilling of the law" (Ro 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.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

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.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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 1 John 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 2 John 1:7.

Geneva Study Bible

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.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

2 John 1:6. ἡ ἀγάπη, “the love just referred to”. περιπ. κατὰ τὰς ἐντ. αὐτ., regulating our lives by their requirements; περιπ. ἐν ἀληθείᾳ (2 John 1:4), keeping within the limits of the Christian revelation and not straying beyond them—not προάγοντες (2 John 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”.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. And this is love] Or, And the love is this: the love which I mean consists in this (see on 1 John 1:5). In 2 John 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 2 John 1:4. Love divorced from duty will run riot, and duty divorced from love will starve. See on 1 John 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 1 John 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 2 John 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 (Ephesians 5:2) and according to love (Romans 14:15). Neither speaks of walking in commandments: and in Luke 1:6 a different verb is used. Moreover the context here is in favour of ‘in it’ meaning in love.

Bengel's Gnomen

2 John 1:6. Αὐτοῦ, of Him) the Father, 2 John 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.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - 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. 2 John 1:6

Vincent's Word Studies

Love (ἡ ἀγάπη)

The love just mentioned in the verb we love.

That (ἵνα)

See on John 15:13.

After His commandments (κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ)

For walk, with κατά after, according to, see Mark 7:5; Romans 8:4; Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 10:2. Very often with ἐν in. See John 8:12; John 11:9, John 11:10; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 John 1:7, 1 John 1:10. Both constructions are found 2 Corinthians 10:2, 2 Corinthians 10:3.

From the beginning (ἀπ' ἀρχῆς)

See on John 1:1.

In it (ἐν αὐτῇ)

In love: not the commandment.