Bible Commentary / New Testament
3 John
3 John is a short but vivid apostolic letter centered on truth, hospitality, faithful ministry partnership, and church order. From a conservative evangelical perspective, the letter is best understood as written by the apostle John, likely in the later first century, within the same broad Johannine church network as 1…
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Literary units
3 John 1:1 - 3 John 1:1
Greeting and opening
The prescript names the sender simply as "the elder" and addresses Gaius with marked affection: he is loved "in truth." In a single line, the letter establishes both pastoral warmth and the moral-theological category that will govern what…
3 John 1:2 - 3 John 1:8
Prayer for prosperity and commendation of Gaius
John opens with a warm prayer that Gaius's bodily condition might match the prosperity of his soul, then grounds his praise in reported evidence: Gaius is walking in the truth. That truth has taken visible form in his care for traveling br…
3 John 1:9 - 3 John 1:10
Rebuke of Diotrephes for pride and refusal to welcome brothers
John shifts from praising Gaius's hospitality to naming its opposite in Diotrephes. Diotrephes refuses to recognize John and his circle, spreads malicious accusations, withholds welcome from the traveling brothers, blocks others who would…
3 John 1:11 - 3 John 1:12
Imitate what is good; commendation of Demetrius
After describing Diotrephes' conduct, John tells Gaius not to copy evil but good. He frames that charge with a Johannine moral test: the one who does good is of God, while the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius then appears as t…
3 John 1:13 - 3 John 1:14
Final greetings and closing
John closes by saying he has more to communicate but does not want to continue by "pen and ink." Instead, he expects to come soon and speak directly with Gaius. The ending gives a brief letter a distinctly personal finish and shows that th…