Second John 10 sounds as though Christians are not supposed to associate with non-Christians. Is that what it means? Should we shun non-Christians?

Second John 1:10 reads, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine [the true doctrine of Christ], receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (emphasis added.).

There are several other verses in the Bible that support this verse. Among them are: Proverbs 19:27; Romans 16:17–18; 16:22; Galatians 1:8–9; 2 Timothy 3:5–6, and Titus 3:10.

However, many use these verses out of context to justify “shunning” someone who is not of their particular understanding or faith, especially those someone had justly or unjustly “marked.” CONTEXT is the keyword here.

Second John 10 is clearly referring to entertaining any supposed teacher or preacher of false religion or doctrine. Christ warned, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5).

“Receive him not into your house” cannot mean that no acts of kindness or charity under any circumstances is to be shown to nonbelievers; but that nothing should be done which could be construed as encouraging or supporting false religious proponents.

To invite a teacher of counterfeit doctrine into your house with a friendly greeting, open arms (and in all probability an open pocketbook) can be understood as welcoming and espousing their false doctrine. The command not to “receive such an one into your house,” should be taken literally. By extension, inviting false teachers “into your house” would apply to inviting them into your mind (where you “live”). We can do this today by entertaining or inviting false religious ministers “into our house” by way of TV or radio in order to learn from them. Again, Matthew 24:4–5 applies.

However, keeping in agreement with the other scriptures, we read in Hebrews 13:2, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” The Bible does not contradict itself. There can be no doubt that entertaining strangers was a custom in the culture to which John was writing. We should likewise be a light and a witness to those around us today (Matthew 5:13–16; Romans 12:9–13).

The apostle Paul gave the balance when he said, “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not entirely with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must you needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother [a “Christian”] be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat (1 Corinthians 5:9–11). In other words, if we were to avoid all kinds of sinners, we would need to step off the planet, because we are all sinners (1 John 1:8)!

Thus, 1 John 10 is plainly speaking about not giving false teachers hospitality. A more modern term might be that to do so is “aiding and abetting the enemy.” To do so would be to encourage him in his false ministry. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them,” we are told in Ephesians 5:11.

Second John 11 goes on to say, “For he that biddeth him [those espousing false doctrine] God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” This means that to give him such greetings as “God speed,” or “God be with you,” is to wish for his success.