Postcards From The New Testament

Postcards From The New Testament - 2 John

In 2 John, we’re reminded that it’s possible to hold true beliefs, say all the “right” things, and still miss the most important thing. In this letter, John isn’t warning against people who reject Jesus outright, but those who reduce him. In his day, some claimed that Jesus only seemed human. This belief, known as Docetism, denied that Jesus truly came in the flesh. But John draws a hard line: if you deny the humanity of Jesus, you take away the very heart of Christianity—love.

Without the real, incarnate Jesus, we’re left with seasoning but no substance. Good ideas without power. Inspiration without transformation. Jesus is not a moral concept. He is a real person who laughed, wept, and bled. He carried pain in his body and laid down his life for us all. Jesus didn’t love from a distance. Rather, he stepped into our world, our mess, and our suffering. And he showed us, not only what love is, but what love does.

If we lose the truth of Jesus’ humanity, we lose love itself. Because the kind of love that changes the world isn’t theoretical or simply intellectual—it took on flesh. Jesus entered our brokenness and says, “I see you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

When we receive and experience that kind of real, flesh-and-blood love, it changes everything. It anchors our faith, transforms our hearts, and empowers us to move toward others with the same kind of love we’ve received.

We don’t love out of obligation. We love from overflow. Seen, known, and deeply loved by Jesus, we now get to embody that love in a hurting world.