The greeting asks for “grace, mercy, and peace” to be with the recipients (2 John 1:3). It names the source as “God the Father and Jesus Christ the Father’s Son” (2 John 1:3). It also specifies the sphere of the blessing as “in truth and love” (2 John 1:3).
In 2 John 1:1–3, the writer calls himself “the elder” and addresses “the elect lady and her children.” He says his love for them is “in truth,” and that this love is shared by all who have come to know the truth. He explains that this shared bond exists because the truth remains among them and will stay with them. These verses function as the letter’s opening greeting and set the terms that the rest of the message will keep returning to: “truth” and “love.” The writer first identifies sender and recipients, then explains why his relationship to them is more than personal affection: it is anchored in a shared “truth” that is.
The opening lines present a relationship held together by two realities: truth (truth) and love. Explicitly, the writer (“the elder”) says he loves the recipients “in truth,” and that this is shared by “all those who know the truth” (verse 1).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with 2 John 1:3, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
3Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.