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.

Chapters