Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 John 1:3

"Grace, mercy, peace shall be with us, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." — 2 John 1:3 (ASV)

At the time John’s letters were written, the salutation of a letter ended with a greeting. Most of the NT letters follow this custom but give it a special Christian character, such as “grace and peace to you” (Romans 1:7; cf. 1 Peter 1:2) or “grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Timothy 1:2). Here, however, John adds a significant variation to this custom. Rather than wishing or praying that God may grant us peace, he turns it into a promise that God’s mercy and grace will be ours if we truly remain in his truth and love. In the next section, “truth” and “love” continue to be the chief topic.

According to tradition, the apostle John served as the pastor of Ephesus in his latter years. Although during his time there were no specific church buildings, the Christians at Ephesus eventually built a huge basilica, whose remains are still visible.