Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 John 1:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Love is not left undefined: it is a continuing life ordered by God's commandments, and the foundational command is to walk in that love.
Read It With
- 2 John 1:4–7
Read verses 4–7. Verses 4–6 join truth, love, and commandment; verse 7 begins with 'For' and shows why love must not be detached from Christological truth.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The definition prevents the coming refusal of support from being treated as loveless and prevents love from being used to endorse teaching the command rejects.
Read 2 John 1:4–6 together
Why these verses belong together: Joy over walking in truth leads directly to the received love command and its definition through commanded walking.
Verse 4. 4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
Verse 5. 5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
Verse 6. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Follow the Context
- Verse 4 commends walking in truth.
- Verse 5 renews mutual love as an old command.
- Verse 6 defines love through walking according to commandments.
- Verse 7 grounds the need for this commanded love in the presence of deceivers.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“this is love”
In plain language: The verse supplies a definition
Love is expressed as commanded walking
Why it matters: It rules out reducing love to feeling alone
How certain? very strong“walk after his commandments”
In plain language: Live according to God's commands
Ongoing conduct gives love visible form
Why it matters: It keeps obedience and relationship together
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
This verse does not define love as unrestricted approval.
This verse does not turn obedience into permission for cold or controlling behavior.
What Remains True
Faithful love has moral shape under God's commands and remains genuinely directed toward one another.
How It Can Shape Life
- Test a proposed act of love by both questions the paragraph supplies: does it serve one another's good, and does it walk within God's truth and commands?
Teach It Back
Explain the circle between love, commandments, and walking in verse 6, then show how verse 7 prevents an isolated reading.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 John 1:4–6 — Walk in Truth by Loving One AnotherSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The pinned KJV wording, paragraph boundaries, and supplied-word markup for 2 John 1:4–6.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, 2JN.usfm, 2 John 1:4–6; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the shared library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and sentence relationships for 2 John 1:4–6.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/2John.txt, 2 John 1:4–6.
Open the 2 John Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible: 2 John 1 — translator, study, and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press / Bible.org, NET Second Edition web notes
Supports: Translation choices, textual variants, grammatical relationships, and identified interpretive alternatives used in this unit.
Exact location: NET Bible, 2 John 1, translator, study, and textual notes 9–21 attached to 2 John 1:4–6.
Open source ↗