2 John 8 8Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for but that you may receive a full reward.
This exhortation serves as both a warning and an inspiration to stay steady, focused, and strong in the orthodox, correct faith in Jesus. The deceivers mentioned in verse 7 were a threat not only to those in the world whom they would seek to win over to their views but to those in the church who could be convinced by them. A slick and appealing-sounding speaker can convince people of many wrong ideas by only slightly changing wording, making a logical argument, or appealing to emotions. The imperative verb watch (blepete) is in the present tense, indicating that the lady and her church must always be on the lookout for people like this. Being mentally and spiritually lazy opens one to threats like these deceivers.
The theological question of this verse is what the readers might lose by following the deceivers. The context of the letter, particularly verse 2, implies that the truth that brings eternal life is at stake. By rejecting or departing from the truth of the gospel, a person also forsakes the gospel’s promise of eternal life. There is nothing more serious than losing out on the promise God has made to those who believe in Jesus Christ. This reward does not come easily but requires “work.” John does not mean that a person earns salvation, but that faith requires obedience and endurance. We are offered the gift of eternal life, but we must, at the same time, grab onto it and never let go. Persevering will indicate the genuineness of one’s faith. The goal is to receive the full promise of God. What the promise entails can only be surmised from the context of this letter, John’s writings, and the whole New Testament. The focus of the letter is “truth.” The truth of the gospel is the promise of eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ and what he did by coming in human form, dying, and rising to restored life. There can be no compromise to this essential truth and the outcome it brings.