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3 John

There are many similarities between 1 John and 2 John. First, in 1 John, the author deals with the same historical situation as that reflected in 2 John. He speaks of those who ‘went out from us’ and do not acknowledge ‘Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh’ (1 John 2:19, 22-23; cf. 2 John 1:7). Second, he brands these false teachers as antichrists, as does the elder in 2 John (1 John 2:18, 22; cf. 2 John 1:7). Third, he stresses the great importance of the love command, which was received at the beginning along with the gospel, just as the elder does in 2 John (1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 21; 5:1-4; cf. 2 John 1:4-6). Fourth, the author of 1 John, like the elder, finds his joy in seeing his children walking in the truth of the gospel (1 John 1:3-4; cf. 2 John 1:4).

There are also striking similarities of language, content, and style between 2 John and 3 John…in both of them he expresses joy that the ‘children’ are ‘walking in the truth’ (2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4); in both the addressees (the ‘chosen lady’ and Gaius respectively) are described as those whom the elder loves ‘in the truth’ (2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1); and both conclude with virtually identical statements (2 John 1:12: ‘I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face’; 3 John 1:13-14: ‘I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face’).

—Colin G. Kruse  

Source: Kruse, Colin G. The Letters of John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2021.

One of the things I love about the way those two letters (2 and 3 John) work together is they’re two sides of one pastoral issue: 1) The need for the church to patrol itself on what it hears concerning Jesus and therefore restraining itself from adopting anyone to teach or preach. And then the flip side is 2) You’ve got to welcome the right guys and you better support them, you better fund them, you better send them on their way. [In other words,] welcome the brothers who are retaining the apostolic message. Do not welcome into your assembly those who are rejecting it. And both of those follow on the heels of 1 John where he’s really fully laid out how you can know [the difference between those who are truly teaching the truth about Jesus]. 

—David Helm  

Source: Helm, David. Interview with Nancy Guthrie. Help Me Teach the Bible. Podcast Audio. May 18, 2017. This podcast originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition.

The Epistles of John are perfumed with love. The word is continually occurring, while the Spirit enters into every sentence. Each letter is thoroughly soaked and impregnated with this heavenly honey. If he speaks of God, his name must be love; are the brethren mentioned, he loves them; and even of the world itself, he writes, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” From the opening to the conclusion, love is the manner, love the matter, love the motive, and love the aim.

—Charles Spurgeon

Source: Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “The Victory of Faith.” The Spurgeon Center (March 18, 1855).

Gaius was noted for his hospitality, a manifestation of Christian love. John urges him to continue entertaining the traveling preachers in spite of the bitter opposition of an autocratic and blustering church official named Diotrephes. You can be either a Gaius, helping in the kingdom, or a Diotrephes, hindering the cause. What a splendid thing to be rich and powerful and to choose to lay all of your gifts and talents at Jesus’ feet, like Gaius and Demetrius!  

—Henrietta Mears  

Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

As with 2 John, 3 John focuses on the basic issue of hospitality but from a different perspective. While 2 John warns against showing hospitality to false teachers (2 John 1:7–11), 3 John condemns the lack of hospitality shown to faithful ministers of the Word (3 John 1:9, 10). Reports came back to the apostle that itinerant teachers known and approved by him (3 John 1:5–8) had traveled to a certain congregation where they were refused hospitality (e.g., lodging and provision) by an individual named Diotrephes who domineered the assembly (3 John 1:10). Diotrephes went even further, for he also verbally slandered the Apostle John with malicious accusations and excluded anyone from the assembly who dared challenge him (3 John 1:10). 

—John MacArthur  

Source: Copyright 2023, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission. This Grace to You article originally appeared here at gty.org.