¹ To an eminent Christian Lady, and to her Children, from the Officer of the Church. I sincerely love you all, and not I only, but also all those who have learned to know the Truth.

² We love you for the sake of that Truth which is always in our hearts; yes, and it will be ours for ever.

³ Blessing, mercy, and peace will be ours — the gift of God, the Father, and of Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son — in a life of truth and love.

⁴ It was a great joy to me to find the lives of some of your children guided by the Truth, in obedience to the command that we received from the Father.

⁵ And now, I pray you, Lady — not as though I were writing a new command for you; no, it is the command which we had from the first — Let us love one another.

⁶ And this is love — to live in obedience to the Father’s commands. This is the Command as you learned from the first, to live in a spirit of love.

⁷ I say this because many impostors have left us to go into the world — men who do not acknowledge Jesus as Christ come in our human nature. It is that which marks a man as an impostor and an anti-Christ.

⁸ Take care that you do not lose the fruit of all our work; rather, reap the benefit of it in full.

⁹ Every one who goes beyond the limits of the Teaching of the Christ has failed to find God; the man who keeps to that Teaching — he has found both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ If any one comes to you and does not bring this Teaching, do not receive him into your house or welcome him;

¹¹ for the man who welcomes him is sharing with him in his wicked work.

¹² Though I have a great deal to say to you, I would rather not trust it to paper and ink, but I am hoping to come and see you, and to speak with you face to face, so that your joy may be complete.

¹³ The children of your eminent sister send you their greetings.