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3 John 1

KJV · Chapter 1/1

1The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

3For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

5Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;

6Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

7Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

8We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

9I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

10Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

11Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

12Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.

13I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:

14But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

John commends Gaius for his faithfulness in hosting traveling missionaries, and denounces Diotrephes, a proud leader who rejected his authority and expelled from the church anyone who welcomed these travelers. He recommends Demetrius as someone of good testimony.

Explanation

This personal letter shows a real leadership conflict in the early church: Gaius was hospitable and faithful, welcoming missionaries who traveled preaching the gospel without charging unbelievers, a common practice of missionary support at the time. Diotrephes, by contrast, sought primacy and control, going so far as to reject the letters of the apostle John himself and expel from the church anyone who disagreed with him, a clear biblical example of the abuse of ecclesiastical power. The recommendation of Demetrius at the end functions as a letter of reference, a common practice when traveling Christians needed credentials to be received by churches that did not know them. The application for today is that generous hospitality and humility in leadership are marks of genuine faith, while pride and excessive control reveal the opposite.

Fun facts

  • Diotrephes is the only church leader mentioned by name in the New Testament to be directly criticized for controlling and prideful behavior, becoming, throughout church history, a classic example cited in discussions about the abuse of ecclesiastical authority.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 3 John 1:1Addressed “unto the wellbeloved Gaius,” probably a leader or prominent member of a local Christian community, this is one of the shortest letters in the New Testament and one of the few addressed to a specific person rather than an entire church.
  2. 3 John 1:2After greeting Gaius in verse 1, John expresses a very human wish: that Gaius may enjoy physical health as good as his spiritual health, already known to be good.
  3. 3 John 1:3This explains the reason for John’s joy: traveling brothers arrived and confirmed, in practice, that Gaius truly lives according to the truth he professes.
  4. 3 John 1:4Sums up John’s feeling: there is no greater joy for him than knowing that the people he considers his “children” in the faith are walking in truth.
  5. 3 John 1:5Praising Gaius for acting faithfully “to the brethren, and to strangers” describes the custom of hosting traveling preachers who moved between communities — a gesture of practical and financial support for the work of these itinerant missionaries.
  6. 3 John 1:6Publicly praises Gaius: the itinerant preachers had already testified about his love before the church, and John asks him to keep helping them continue their journey in a manner worthy of God.
  7. 3 John 1:7Saying that these preachers went out for Christ’s name “taking nothing of the Gentiles” indicates that they avoided receiving support from non-believers, relying instead on the backing of fellow believers like Gaius — hence the importance of the hospitality being urged.
  8. 3 John 1:8Concludes the reasoning about hospitality: welcoming these preachers makes Gaius, in practice, a direct partner in spreading the truth of the gospel.
  9. 3 John 1:9Diotrephes is described as someone “who loveth to have the preeminence among them,” that is, who seeks a position of prominence, and who, because of this, refuses to acknowledge the author’s own authority, going as far as expelling from the church anyone who tried to welcome the itinerant preachers — a rare glimpse of a leadership conflict inside a first-century Christian community.
  10. 3 John 1:10Details Diotrephes’s bad conduct, mentioned in the previous verse: he spreads malicious accusations against John, refuses to host the traveling brothers, and even expels from the church anyone who tries to help them.
  11. 3 John 1:11After describing Diotrephes’s bad example, John advises Gaius to do the opposite: imitate what is good, not what is evil, because doing evil is a sign of never having truly known God.
  12. 3 John 1:12The praise of Demetrius — who “hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself” — seems to work as a recommendation for Gaius to welcome him well, possibly as the bearer of this very letter or as one of the itinerant preachers mentioned earlier.
  13. 3 John 1:13Repeats almost the same sentence found in 2 John: he prefers not to put everything in writing, saving the matters for a personal conversation.
  14. 3 John 1:14Closes the letter expecting a personal meeting soon, with a farewell of peace and greetings by name to mutual friends — a typical, warm ending for ancient letters.

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