What is the Shortest Book of the Bible?
The Bible is read in every corner of the world and the various books are combined to form a single book called the Bible. It is a collection of many books such as the Old Testament and the New Test. Each book contains stories and messages from different prophets and each has its own length. Some books are very long and some are very short. And we’re going to talk about a book that is the shortest in the Bible.
The Shortest Book of the Bible
There are many books in the Bible with varying lengths, Genesis and Psalms being the largest book. There are also some shorter books, 2 John is the shortest. It consists of only 13 verses. 2 John is part of the New Testament and it is written by Apostle John. Although this book is small, it has many messages as it has instructions about keeping the faith strong, sticking to the guidance and avoiding false teachers.
Who wrote 2 John?
Christ had a very close disciple named the Apostle John. 2 John was written by him in order to teach people to protect their faith, belief and avoid false teachers. This was the purpose of the Apostle John. In addition, the Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and also Revelation and through these writings brought the teachings of the Bible to the Christian community. From which even people get light and decorate their lives.
Verse
“To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth and not I only, but also all who know the truth.” (2 John 1:1)
Recipient of 2 John
John wrote to a personage and this personage is called the Chosen Lady. Who she was is not known, but it is believed that she was a very special woman in the Christian community about whom this letter was written. Some people say that it was written symbolically. Its purpose was to convey a message to the Christian community. In this letter it is written that only God’s messages and commands are to be obeyed and to avoid false teachers. It was written for someone in that era or it was written for all humanity but many Christians take guidance and shape their lives from the teachings it gives.
Verse
“To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth and not I only, but also all who know the truth.” (2 John 1:1)
Key Themes of 2 John
2 John is a very short book, but it covers a lot of depth. Two things are advised in it, one is truth and the other is love. John wrote in this letter that a believer should always act truthfully and spread love.
Truth
In this letter it is exhorted to always obey God’s commandments and always stick to this truth and live according to God’s will. The commands given by God should be believed and followed with truth.
Love
Along with the truth, John has emphasized on love that every believer should live with love for one another, besides obey God’s commandments with love and love God above all.
Verse
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love,” (2 John 1:4-6)
The Warning Against False Teachers
In this epistle, John talks deeply about truth and love, as well as another thing that we must avoid false teachers because they aim to mislead people. They twist the teachings of Jesus Christ from the Bible in their own way to confuse people and divert them from the straight path. That is why John is so emphatic that one should always try to avoid such false teachers. Their job is only to mislead the Christian community. So, one should always keep one’s faith strong so that no one can attack it.
Verse
“I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.” (2 John 1:7-11)
Importance of Walking in Truth
The truth is very important in society, without it the society cannot run. Especially the Christian life does not exist without the truth, life is incomplete without it. Therefore, John has emphasized a lot on the truth to walk along the straight path. The truth and the straight path lead to God, while falsehood leads people astray and leads them to the path of Satan. Those who do good deeds follow the path of truth.
Verse
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.” (2 John 1:4)
Living by Christ’s Commandments
John says that the sign of a true believer is that he always obeys the commands of Christ. A believer is obliged to live his life according to the messages of Christ because Christ has brought the teachings of God to the people. By following the teachings we can live a good and excellent life which will make our life as well as the hereafter good. So John wrote in this letter to always obey Christ’s commandments if they want to become a good follower.
Verse
“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 1:9)
Historical Context of 2 John
When John wrote this letter, the situation was such that false teachers were leading Christian believers astray with their false teachings. On this basis, John felt it necessary that the developing Christian communities should also know that Avoid false teachers and protect their faith from them. Then John kept his faith strong and wrote this little letter to convey these messages to the people. And the benefit of this was that people strengthened their belief and faith by reading this letter and avoided false teachers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
2 John is the shortest book of the Bible but it contains many profound teachings through which people can live a very good life by following the principles of love and truth. This book is a guide for every believer. In it, John has given the message of love, truth and avoiding false teachers.
