3 John 3-4-John Commends Gaius for His Faithfulness to His Apostolic Teaching
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday September 8, 2013
Third John: Third John 3-4-John Commends Gaius for His Faithfulness to His Apostolic Teaching
Lesson # 3
Please turn in your Bibles to Third John 1.
3 John 1 From the elder, to Gaius, the beloved, whom I myself divinely love by means of the truth. 2 Beloved, I myself make it a habit of praying that you would be prospered with regards to all things as well as that you would be in good health just as your soul prospers. (My translation)
3 John 3 For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. (NASB95)
Verse 3 presents the reason for the apostle John’s intercessory prayer on behalf of Gaius.
“I was very glad” speaks of the intensity of John’s joy upon hearing from other Christians that Gaius was conducting his life by means of the truth.
“When brethren came” refers to some Christians arriving at the place in which John lived or taught and informing him that Gaius was living by means of the truth.
It refers to John greatly rejoicing during the time when certain unidentified Christians came to his place of residence or the place in which he taught and informed him that Gaius was living by means of the truth.
“Brethren” is the noun adelphos (ἀδελφός), which means “spiritual brothers and sisters” and refers to certain unidentified Christians who came to John’s place of residence or where he taught and informed him that Gaius was walking by means of the truth.
The word describes these Christians as related to John and Gaius and the Lord Jesus Christ through regeneration, thus, the word refers to a “fellow-believer, fellow-Christian, spiritual brother or sister.”
“And testified to your truth” is a temporal clause indicating that certain unidentified Christians arrived at John’s location as they testified that Gaius was walking by means of the truth.
It teaches that John greatly rejoiced during the time when certain unidentified Christians testified to him that Gaius was living by means of the truth.
“Your truth” emphasizes the personal relationship which Gaius has with the truth of God.
“How” is the conjunction kathōs (καθώς), which means “because” since it is functioning as a marker of cause meaning that it is introducing a statement which presents the reason or the basis for certain unidentified Christians testifying to Gaius’ truth.
Therefore, they testified to Gaius’ truth “because” he was walking by means of the truth.
“Walking” is the verb peripateō (περιπατέω), which means “to live, to conduct one’s life” and is used in a figurative sense with reference to the lifestyle of Gaius.
Here the verb denotes that Gaius was conducting his life by means of the truth and specifically by means of the command to love one another as indicated by John’s statements in verse 6 in which he mentions Gaius operating in God’s love by demonstrating hospitality to itinerant communicators of the gospel.
The present tense of the verb is a customary present used to signal a habitual action indicating that John is writing that Gaius was “making it a habit of” living by means of the truth.
“Truth” is the noun alētheia (ἀλήθεια), which means “truth” referring specifically to Gaius obeying the Spirit inspired command of the Lord Jesus Christ to love one another as He loved.
This time the noun is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of means indicating that Gaius was making it his habit of living “by means of” truth.
3 John 3 For I was prompted to greatly rejoice during the time when brothers and sisters arrived as they testified to your truth because you make it your habit of living by means of the truth. (My translation)
The apostle John informs Gaius regarding the reason why he prayed on his behalf.
He prayed for him because he was prompted to greatly rejoice during the time when certain unidentified Christians arrived at his place of residence or where he was teaching as they testified to his truth because he was making it his habit of living by means of the truth.
Thus, when John prayed for Gaius it was that his soul would continue to prosper which would be accomplished by Gaius continuing to live by means of the truth.
This truth was contained in John’s apostolic teaching, which was the gospel.
Gaius was faithful in his stewardship of the truth he received from the Holy Spirit.
These unidentified Christians were itinerant communicators of the gospel which is indicated by John’s statements in verses 5-8, which record John commending Gaius for supporting financially and materially these men who communicate truth.
When John says that Gaius was making it his habit of living by means of the truth, he is referring to the fact that Gaius was obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one another as He loves.
This is indicated by the fact that in 3 John 3 the apostle says that certain unidentified Christians testified to Gaius walking by means of truth and in 3 John 6 he says that they testified to his divine love before the church.
So because John is saying that these Christians were testifying to both his love and truth we can infer that Gaius walking by means of the truth was the direct result of obeying the Lord’s command to love one another.
Therefore, a comparison of these verses reveals a spiritual principle that to walk or live your life by means of truth is demonstrated by obeying the Lord’s command to love one another.
In other words, to love one another is to live your life by means of God’s truth.
It also indicates that a Christian is not living their life by means of truth if they do not love their fellow Christian.
So to live by means of truth is to love one’s fellow believer and to love one’s fellow believer is to live by means of truth.
This principle is taught by John in Second John.
In 2 John 5, the apostle equates the command to live by means of the truth in 2 John 4 as obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command recorded in John 13:34 to love one another as He loved.
In verse 5, he writes that the command he mentions in verse 4 is not a new command but rather a familiar one, which they received from the beginning of their Christian instruction, namely to love one another.
Interestingly, John says that it gave him great joy to hear that Gaius was making it a habit of living by means of the truth.
John said this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), who produced this joy in him (Galatians 5:22-23).
The Holy Spirit reveals the Father’s will and gives the Christian understanding regarding the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:13-15).
Therefore, the Holy Spirit is communicating to Gaius that it pleases Him, the Holy Spirit as well as the Son and the Father that he is living by means of the truth.
Thus, the Trinity through John is encouraging Gaius.
3 John 5-8 makes clear that the evidence of Gaius walking by means of the truth was that he demonstrated Christian hospitality in not only giving itinerant communicators of the gospel a place to sleep at night but he also provided for their financial and material needs.
Thus, living one’s life by means of the truth will demonstrate itself in Christian hospitality.
Gaius not only adhered to the sound doctrine of the apostles but also conducted himself according to their teaching.
Therefore, this reveals a spiritual principle that adhering to sound doctrine will manifest itself in godly character and acts of love produced by the Holy Spirit.
3 John 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. (NASB95)
This verse teaches that John is telling Gaius that he never experiences a greater joy than of hearing of his spiritual children conducting their lives by means of the truth, i.e. his apostolic teaching.
“Joy” refers to the apostle John experiencing joy which is produced in him by the Holy Spirit as a result of hearing of his spiritual children conducting their lives by means of his apostolic teaching which he describes as the truth.
The noun chara contains the figure of speech called metonymy of the effect where Gaius conducting his life by means of the truth is a cause for joy for John.
Here we have the effect for the person producing it, thus Gaius produced joy in John’s life because the former was obeying his apostolic teaching.
“Hear” is the verb akouō (ἀκούω), which is in the present tense that signals an action that regularly occurs indicating that John is informing Gaius that he never experiences a greater joy than when he “regularly” hears of his spiritual children conducting their lives by means of the truth.
“My children” refers in a figurative sense to the spiritual children who received Christian instruction from the apostle John.
“Walking” is the verb peripateō (περιπατέω), which means “to live, to conduct one’s life” and refers to Christians conducting their lives by means of the truth and specifically the command to love one another as indicated by John’s statements in verse 5-8.
The present tense of the verb is a customary present used to signal a habitual action indicating that it gave John no greater joy than to hear of his spiritual children “making it their habit of” living by means of the truth.
The participle form of the verb is a causal participle indicating that John was regularly hearing about Gaius “because” he was making it his habit of living by means of the truth.
“Truth” is the noun alētheia (ἀλήθεια), which means “truth” referring specifically to unidentified Christians obeying the Spirit inspired command of the Lord Jesus Christ to love one another as He loved.
It refers specifically to Gaius obeying this command since in verses 5-8 John is commending Gaius for demonstrating hospitality towards itinerant communicators of the gospel.
This time the noun is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of means indicating that John experienced no greater joy than to regularly hear of his spiritual children such as Gaius making it their habit of living “by means of” truth.
3 John 4 I never experience a greater joy than this, namely that, I regularly hear about my own spiritual children because they are making it their habit of living by means of the truth. (My translation)
The apostle John emphasizes with Gaius that he never experiences a greater joy than to regularly receive news from other Christians because his spiritual children are making it their habit of living by means of the truth.
Thus, John is stressing with Gaius that he was experiencing great joy because Gaius was living by means of the truth as demonstrated by his extending hospitality to itinerant communicators of the gospel.
The language of verse 4 makes clear that John regularly heard of reports about Gaius living by means of his apostolic teaching as a result of demonstrating great hospitality to itinerant communicators of the gospel who informed John of Gaius’ conduct toward them.
It was in effect a lifestyle of his to demonstrate hospitality to the body of Christ.
The fact that John identifies Gaius as one of his spiritual children here in verse 4 does not mean that the latter was saved through the former’s ministry since in First John the apostle uses this designation for all the Christians he was writing to in First John (1 John 2:1, 12, 18).
In fact, it does not appear that John was on familiar or intimate terms with Gaius, which is indicated by his statement in 3 John 3.
Therefore, in 3 John 4 by calling Gaius one of his spiritual children, John is revealing that Gaius was under his apostolic authority.
The apostle John’s attitude which he expressed in writing to Gaius would serve to instruct pastors in the centuries to follow since he is telling Gaius that he greatly rejoices when those under his pastoral care are applying the truth which he taught them.
It teaches pastors that they should greatly rejoice when those under their pastoral care are obeying their teaching and putting it into practice in their daily lives.
John wanted to minister to the spiritual needs of the body of Christ and when he received news of someone like Gaius who was under his pastoral care conducting their life according to his apostolic teaching it caused him to rejoice greatly.
It meant that the exercise of his spiritual gift was bringing blessing to the body of Christ resulting in the glorification of God.
It would tell John that God was working through his ministry.