3 John 13-15-John’s Final Greetings
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday October 27, 2013
Third John: Third John 13-15-John’s Final Greetings
Lesson # 9
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. 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. 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. 5 Beloved, you continue to act faithfully with regards to whatever you work hard accomplishing on behalf of your spiritual brothers and sisters even though this is on behalf of strangers. 6 They testified to your divine-love in the presence of the church. You will act correctly by sending them on their way in a manner of the one and only God. 7 Because for the sake of the Name, they went out while accepting absolutely nothing from the heathen. 8 Therefore, we are, as an eternal spiritual truth, obligated to make it our habit of supporting such individuals in order that we would become co-workers on behalf of and in association with the truth. 9 I wrote something to a certain church but instead Diotrephes who loves to be first over them never recognized our authority. 10 Because of this, when I arrive I will call attention to his actions which he continues to perpetrate by continuing to slander us by means of evil assertions. Furthermore, while not being satisfied with these, he himself for his own benefit continues to not welcome these spiritual brothers and sisters and also continues to forbid those who desire to do so. He even expelled them from the church! 11 Beloved, you must continue making it your habit of not imitating that which is evil in character but rather that which is divine good in character. The one who is performing divine good is, as an eternal spiritual truth, living by means of the one and only God as a source. The one who is committing evil never sees the one and only God. 12 Demetrius is endorsed by everyone, in fact, by the truth itself so that we at this particular time give our endorsement as well. Indeed, you know for certain that our testimony is true. (My translation)
3 John 13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink. (NASB95)
“I had many things to write to you” denotes that John contemplated the action of writing Gaius concerning many things but did not do so.
“But I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink” presents an emphatic contrast between John’s contemplated desire to communicate to Gaius in writing many other subjects, which are in addition to the ones he communicated in this epistle and his total unwillingness to do so with pen and ink.
By no means did John want to communicate to Gaius in writing many other subjects.
3 John 13 I was about to communicate to you in writing many other subjects but at the present time I by no means want to with pen and ink. (My translation)
3 John 13 echoes the first statement in 2 John 12.
With the former, the apostle John is communicating to Gaius his total unwillingness to communicate in writing many other subjects which are in addition to the ones he communicating in this epistle.
So after encouraging Gaius to continue practicing hospitality with regards to the itinerant communicators of the truth, John decided that other subjects would be better addressed in a face to face manner.
Undoubtedly, the issue with Diotrephes needed to be addressed swiftly and decisively, thus John was planning a trip to visit this man.
During this visit he could also see Gaius.
Thus, John puts off writing on more subjects with Gaius since he plans to see him anyway after dealing with Diotrephes.
What were these other subjects he wanted to communicate in face to face manner rather than by writing?
The contents of 1 John give us a good idea as to what John was planning to teach Gaius.
Remember, historically speaking 1 John was written after 2 and 3 John.
3 John 13 indicates that John was planning on making a personal visit to Gaius’ church in the near future.
More than likely, this trip would coincide with the trip to see Diotrephes and his church.
3 John 14 But I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. (NASB95)
This verse presents a contrast between Gaius hearing from John with regards to various subjects in writing and John making a personal visit to see Gaius in order to communicate these subjects in a face to face manner.
“But I hope to see you shortly” indicates that John was absolutely certain and confidently expected to arrive at the location in which Gaius was geographically located in order to communicate to him various subjects in a face to face manner.
This adversative clause expresses the urgency of John’s visit.
“And we will speak face to face” explains specifically the purpose of the apostle John visiting Gaius.
3 John 14 Instead, I am absolutely certain and confidently expect to see you very soon, that is, to speak face to face. (My translation)
Instead of writing to Gaius with regards to various other subjects, John informs Gaius that he is absolutely certain and confidently expects to visit him very soon in order to speak with him face to face with regards to these subjects.
When John says he will speak to Gaius to face to face, this would involve not only speaking with him regards to the situation with Diotrephes but it would also include teaching him and the rest of the church the Word of God.
The apostle desired to communicate various doctrinal subjects to Gaius which more than likely appear in the contents of the First John.
3 John 15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name. (NASB95)
“Peace be to you” is expressing John’s Spirit inspired desire that the Holy Spirit would continue to produce peace in Gaius as a result of reading the contents of this epistle.
“The friends greet you” is a reference to the Christians John was staying with when he wrote Third John passing along their greetings to Gaius.
“Greet the friends by name” is expressing John’s request that Gaius would give his regards to those Christians residing in his area of the world.
The friends here are a reference to the Christians who were in Gaius’ church and in his particular geographical area.
It refers to the Christians, who were experiencing fellowship with Gaius because they like him, were obedient to John’s apostolic teaching in contrast to Diotrephes.
This statement indicates that the apostle John is requesting that Gaius would pass along his greetings individually to all those Christians who were obeying his apostolic teaching in contrast to Diotrephes.
3 John 15 May peace continue to exist in you. The friends give their regards to you. Please, you yourself give regards to the friends individually. (My translation)
John closes this tiny epistle by communicating a Spirit inspired desire that the peace of God would continue to exist in Gaius.
This was to encourage him.
This peace would continue to be produced in Gaius when he continued to obey John’s instructions to support itinerant communicators of the gospel who the apostle approved of.
This epistle was designed to encourage Gaius to continue to follow his instructions regarding these traveling teachers and evangelists and to warn him about Diotrephes.
Thus, if Gaius responded in obedience to the contents of this epistle which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit would continue to produce peace in him.
Then, John passes along to Gaius greetings from those who John was visiting.
The term “friends” speaks of Christian fellowship.
These Christians John was staying with were related to Gaius and the apostle through regeneration.
They shared a common relationship with the triune God.
It also speaks of the fact that these Christians were obedient to John’s apostolic teaching with regards to the support of the itinerant communicators of the gospel.
So these Christians were obedient Christians which stands in stark contrast to Diotrephes who was disobedient.
Thus, these Christians were in agreement with John, which would encourage Gaius and his congregation and others following Gaius’ example, that they were not alone.
The apostle John makes a final request of Gaius by asking him to pass along his regards to the Christians, who like Gaius, were obedient to his apostolic teaching with reference to the itinerant communicators of the gospel.
So we can see that John considered his friends to be those who were obedient to his apostolic teaching. Diotrephes in contrast was not a friend.
He was a brother in Christ but not a friend because of his disobedience.
This was not a personal problem that John had with Diotrephes since disobedience to his apostolic teaching constituting disobedience to the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ and the God the Father.