Does 2 John Forbid Christians From Welcoming Non‑believers into Their Homes

Does 2 John Forbid Christians from Welcoming Non‑believers into Their Homes?

Firstly, let us take a look at the passage.

“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds” (2 John 1:9-11 NASB1995). 

To understand what is being said here, the context and wording are key. It is not saying we should not be loving to those who have a poor understanding of Christ, but to not be hospitable and allow them into our homes. So is John saying we should not let heretics into our home? If a child or friend falls leaves Christianity, should we toss them out? Well, not exactly. In the early church, there were no churches as we see them today. 

Some synagogues were used, but in general, it was ‘house churches.’ That is, people–normally those of great wealth who had large rooms–were using their homes as early churches. As Paul directly notes, “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house,” (1 Corinthians 16:19 NASB1995, c.f. Poole & Jamieson). 

The point John is getting at here is not to allow heretics into their homes, that is, their ‘house churches.’ This is not to say we cannot let those who truly want to find Jesus, but have a mistaken view, but those who only desire to teach what is wrong (2 John 1:10). John is warning, in short, not to allow false prophets and teachers into their churches. He is not saying we should be unloving to those who are misguided, but to be cautious about who they let be their teachers.

If you wanted to go to college, you would not go to one that was in the business of, for example, teaching “tomatoes are red because they are angry.” That would be absurd, and so too would the act that John is describing be. Loving thy neighbor is a part of the very definition of being a Christian, for “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen,” (1 John 4:20 NASB1995).

Works Cited:

• Jamieson, Robert, et al. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary. United States, Hendrickson Publishers, 1996. 

• New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. 

• Poole, Matthew. Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible. United States, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 1990.