Overview
A short letter addressed to the elect lady and her children. It exhorts them to love expressed by walking according to the commandments and warns them not to receive deceivers who deny that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh.
Theme Walking in truth and love, and guarding against deceivers
Historical background
The elect lady may be an individual, but many scholars understand the expression as a designation for a local ekklesia (church) and its members. The early practice of receiving itinerant teachers into the home forms the background. The letter addresses the same false teaching as 1 John.