How does 2 John 1:3 connect with John 1:14 about Jesus' nature? Setting the Scene: Two Verses, One Author • 2 John 1:3: “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” • John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John writes both statements; the Spirit preserves perfect consistency. Each verse openly declares who Jesus is and what He brings to His people. Shared Vocabulary: Grace, Truth, and Love • Grace—unearned favor. Both verses root this favor in Christ Himself. • Truth—objective, absolute reality embodied in Jesus (cf. John 14:6). • Love—2 John adds “love,” reminding us that the truth of Christ is inseparable from God’s love (cf. 1 John 4:9-10). These identical terms reveal the same Christ operating in the same divine qualities across different settings. Jesus as the Father’s Son: Divine Identity Established • “Son of the Father” (2 John 1:3) is an explicit, literal title underscoring unique, eternal relationship (cf. John 1:18). • John 1:14 calls Him “the one and only Son from the Father,” reinforcing singular deity and pre-existence (cf. Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3). • The shared father-son language anchors Jesus’ nature in full deity; He is not merely a messenger but God Himself come near. The Word Became Flesh: Full Humanity Affirmed • John 1:14 declares the eternal Word “became flesh.” This is a literal incarnation—God truly took on human nature. • 2 John 1:3 presumes that incarnation by naming the risen, still-human Jesus as the continuing source of grace, mercy, and peace. • The combination of deity (Son of the Father) and humanity (Word made flesh) completes the biblical portrait: one Person, two natures, without confusion. Truth and Love in Operation • John 1:14 links grace with truth; 2 John 1:3 links truth with love. Together they show: – Grace flows out of love. – Truth safeguards love from sentimentality. – Love softens truth from harshness. • Believers experience “grace, mercy, and peace” precisely because Jesus is both God of truth and God of love. Implications for Believers Today • Confidence: The same incarnate, divine Son who walked among the disciples now administers grace and peace to us. • Discernment: Because truth and love are fused in Jesus, we reject any teaching that diminishes either His deity or His humanity (cf. 2 John 1:7). • Worship: Seeing the literal fulfillment of God’s plan in Christ, we respond with adoration, honoring Him as the Word made flesh and the Son of the Father. |
    |