Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
John very properly calls himself an Elder; for at the time he wrote this Epistle, he could not be less than an hundred years old; if, as some suppose, it was after his return from banishment. But the principal point for the Church of God to regard is, the character to whom John wrote; namely, one of the Elect of God. And I mention this the rather, because it bears a correspondence to all the Apostle's writings, which are uniformly to the Church, and not unto the world. The salutation of grace, mercy, and peace, are sweet tokens of Apostolic writings to the Church.
And I beg the reader to notice with what confidence John speaks to this lady, in consequence of being an elect child of God. He saith, he loveth her for the truth's sake, meaning Christ himself, who is the truth. (John 14:6) And which John saith, ``dwelleth in us, '' (that is, in all the elect), and ``shall abide forever.'' Reader! Do not overlook this, for it is blessed. The elect lady, as John calls her, had in that election all the blessed fruits and effects wrought up in it, as the bud contains all the future blossoms and foliage of the flower. Together with this electing grace, there is the calling grace appointed also. ``For whom he did predestinate, them he also called.'' (Romans 8:30) And in the season of that call, there is given the pardoning grace to all sins. So blessedly speaks the Apostle. ``And you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.'' (Colossians 2:13)
And neither doth the blessing stop here. For justification immediately follows. ``Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.'' (Romans 3:24) And both sanctification and glory bring up the rear, in the sure events involved in the blessed act of God's sovereign love, when, from all eternity, the Lord chose the church in Christ Jesus. (Eph 1:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:30-31)