Who Should Be Welcome in the Church?

We conclude our look at this little epistle this morning. I want you to notice something that I had never seen before in the numerous times I've read Second John. That something is the contrast between two visits and two greetings. One visit is a wonderful blessing, a thing that makes joy full. The other visit is absolutely banned, is something that should never happen in the church. The same goes for the greetings. One, a greeting from a sister church, is a huge blessing. The other, a greeting offered to a false teacher/antichrist, almost brings a curse on the church and is again something John absolutely forbids.

Some visits are good, others bad; some greetings are good, others bad. The two visits and two greetings resolve into the broader question of who should be welcome in the church. Who is allowed to come in here, and who is officially welcome here, and who gets to bring a message here? The answer is that false teachers and teachings are not welcome in the church, but true teachers and true Christians are always welcome here.