2 John is not a long book, not one that mandates our attention simply because of the space it takes up in the Scripture. However, there is a message in this short book, and, as with all God’s messages to us, we may find it beneficial to take a deeper look at it.

Think for a moment about the state of Christianity in the roughly seventy year period between the Ascension and the close of the first century. Although Christianity experienced rapid growth, most Gentiles were probably still surrounded by paganism. Their employers, their rulers, their acquaintances could have often been pagans, and the world would continually pull at them from that quarter. Some pagans went beyond persuasion and actively persecuted the church.

In the fourth chapter of Genesis, we see the bloody beginning of a conflict that has continued until this day—the long, drawn out tension between the children of darkness and the children of light.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Genesis 4:3-8)

A story tells of artists who were asked to paint a picture of what they considered “peace.” One painted a picture of a lake in the mountains, while another painted a picture of a raging waterfall, with a bird almost in the spray serenely enjoying its nest. This illustration has been used as an example of Biblical peace. However, while our peace here on earth will be found in the midst of obstacles, there is an even higher form of peace that Christians will find when with Christ, that peace is a restoration of the sinless closeness to God that man enjoyed before the fall.

Forgiveness is essential to the Christian. “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:26) When we forgive someone, we give up our bitterness and our desire to get even. In our heart, we release the person who hurt us. “To forgive is to grant pardon without harboring resentment.” (American Heritage Dictionary) When we consider the entire scope of the Bible, we can realize that when we don’t forgive other people, we are the ones who are being “unfair.” This is because, due to our own sins, we owe a debt to God that all the offenses in the world will not be sufficient punishment for—we deserve every offense that people give to us, and it’s not “fair” at all for us to be upset about something that we truly deserved.

This article is part of a series.

In the Old Testament, people were not expected to be completely focused on God to be a member of God’s Kingdom; after all, beyond a few issues, God’s Law did not actually cover much of a person’s life, unless he happened to be a priest, Levite, or prophet. Those who were not in these groups, yet wanted to live in a way that was more focused on God than the ordinary, could become a Nazarite, but this tended to be a temporary thing, performed only for a specified period. Evangelism outside the Israelite nation appears to have hardly even been considered. Many of those who wanted to live a life of service to God may have seen only one remaining option—enter the national scene, in government or the army.

During the Christmas season, the phrase “Peace on Earth” is sometimes displayed. It is probably taken from what the angels said to the shepherds when telling them about the birth of Christ.

Reading the gospels, we may get the idea that when Jesus healed people, He simply spoke, and, just because of His great power, the person was healed. No cost, no pain, no trouble. That’s how we would like to start revival in our churches, too.

To the Pharisees, ritual and ceremony were the most important parts of religion. To them, paying tithes, offering sacrifices, praying publicly, and other such things, which were done as a ceremony, as a demonstration, were the central focus of religious experience.