THE LETTERS OF 2, 3 JOHN

INTRODUCTION TO THE 2^nd AND 3^rd LETTERS OF JOHN

The apostate teachers not only invaded the churches, but they also tried to influence Christian homes. Titus faced this problem in Crete (Titus 1:10-11) and Timothy faced it in Ephesus (2 Tim. 3:6). As goes the home, so goes the church and the nation; thus the family is an important target in Satan’s war against truth.

The dominant feelings in this little epistle are those of friendship and joy, even though these are mixed with concern and warning. If you and I are to keep our homes true to Christ, then we must have the same characteristics as this family to which John wrote.

The very shortness of these two letters is the best guarantee of their genuineness. They are so brief and so comparatively unimportant that no one would have gone to the trouble of inventing them and of attaching them to the name of John. A standard papyrus sheet measured ten by eight inches and the length of these letters is to be explained by the fact that they would each take up almost exactly one sheet.

THE ELDER

Each of them is said to come from "The elder." Second John begins: "The elder to the elect lady and her children Third John begins: "The elder to the beloved Gaius." It is in the last degree unlikely that The elder is an official or ecclesiastical title. Elders were officials attached to one congregation whose jurisdiction did not extend outside that congregation, whereas the writer of these letters certainly assumes that he has the right to speak and that his word will carry weight in congregations where he is not actually present. He speaks as one whose authority goes out to the Church at large. The word is presbuteros, which originally meant an elder, not in the official but in the natural sense of the term. We would be better to translate it The ancient, or The aged, for it is not from an ecclesiastical position but from his age and personal qualities that the writer of these letters draws his authority.

In fact we know that in Ephesus there was an aged John who held a very special position. In the days of the early church there was a churchman called Papias who lived from A.D 70 to 146. He had a passion for collecting all the information he could lay hands on about the early days of the church. He was not a great scholar, Eusebius dismisses him as "a man of very limited intelligence"; but he does transmit to us some most interesting information. He became Bishop of Hierapolis but he had a close connection with Ephesus, and he tells us of his own methods of acquiring information. He frequently uses elder in the sense of one of the fathers of the Church, and he mentions a particularly distinguished elder whose name was John. "I shall not hesitate," he writes, "to put down for you, along with my own interpretations, whatsoever things I have at any time learned carefully from the elders, and carefully remembered, guaranteeing their truth.

For I did not, like the multitude, take pleasure in those that speak much, but in those that teach the truth; not in those who relate strange commandments, but in those who deliver the commandments given by the Lord to faith, and springing from the truth itself. If, then, anyone came who had been a follower of the elders, I questioned him in regard to the words of the elders-what Andrew, or what Peter, had said, or what was said by Philip, or by Thomas, or by James, or by John, or by Matthew, or by any other of the disciples of the Lord; and what things Aristion, or the Elder John say. For I did not think that what was to be gotten from books would profit me as much as what came from the living and the abiding voice." Clearly the Elder John, John the aged, was a notable figure in Ephesus, although he is clearly distinguished from John the apostle.

It must be this John who wrote these two little letters. By this time he was an old man, one of the last surviving links with Jesus and his disciples. He was a man who had the authority of a bishop in Ephesus and in the places around it; and when he saw that a church was threatened with trouble and heresy, he wrote with gracious and loving correction to his people. Here are the letters of an aged saint, one of the last of the first generation of Christians, a man whom all loved and respected.

COMMON AUTHORSHIP

That the two letters are from the one hand there is no doubt. Short as they are, they have much in common. Second John begins: "The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth." Third John begins: "The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth." Second John goes on: "I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children following the truth" (verse 4); and Third John goes on: "No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth." Second John comes to an end: "Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete" (verse 12). Third John comes to an end: "I have much to write to you, but would rather not write with pen and ink; I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face" (verse 13, 14). There is the closest possible similarity between the two letters.

There is further the closest possible connection between the situation of these letters and that in First John. In 1 John 4:3 we read: "Every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of Antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already." In 2 John 7 we read: "Many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is a deceiver and the Antichrist."

It is clear that Second and Third John are closely connected with each other; and that both are closely connected with First John. They are dealing with the same situation, the same dangers and the same people.

THE PROBLEM IN THE EARLY CHURCH

Second and Third John throw vivid light on a problem which sooner or later had to arise within the organization of the early church. Let us see if we can reconstruct the situation which lies behind them. It is clear that John the aged regards himself as having a right to act as guide and counsellor and to administer warning and rebuke in the churches whose members are his children. In Second John he writes of those who are doing well (verse 4), and by implication infers that there are others who are not so satisfactory. He further makes it clear that there are itinerant teachers in the district, some of whom are preaching false and dangerous doctrine, and he gives orders that such teachers are not to be accepted and not to be given hospitality (verse 7-11). Here, then, John is exercising what is to him an unquestioned right to issue orders to his churches and is seeking to guard against a situation in which itinerant teachers of falsehood may arrive at any moment.

The situation behind Third John is somewhat more complicated. The letter is written to one called Gaius, whose character and actions John must thoroughly approveds (verse 3-5). Wandering missionaries have come to the church, men who are fellow-helpers of the truth, and Gaius has given them true Christian hospitality (verse 6-8). In the same church is another man called Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence (verse 9). Diotrephes is depicted as a dictatorial character who will brook no rival to his authority. Diotrephes has refused to receive the wandering teachers of the truth and has actually tried to drive out of the church those who did receive them. He will have nothing to do with wandering teachers even when they are the true preachers of the word (verse 10). Then into the picture comes a man called Demetrius, to whom John gives a personal testimonial as a good man and one to be hospitably welcomed (verse 12). The simplest explanation of Demetrius is that he must be the leader of a wandering band of teachers who are on their way to the church to which John is writing. Diotrephes will certainly refuse to have anything to do with them and will try to reject those who do receive them; and John is writing to urge Gaius to receive the wandering teachers and not to be intimidated by the domineering Diotrephes, whom he (John) will deal with when he visits the church in question (verse 10). The whole situation turns on the reception of the wandering teachers. Gaius has received such teachers before, and John urges him to receive them and their leader Demetrius again. Diotrephes has shut the door on them and defied the authority of John the aged.

THE THREEFOLD MINISTRY

All this look like a very unhappy situation, and indeed it was. None the less, it was one which was bound to arise. In the nature of things a problem of ministry was bound to emerge within the church. In its earliest days the church had three different kinds of ministries.

(i) Unique, and above all others, stood the apostles, those who had companied with Jesus and been witnesses of the resurrection. They were the undisputed leaders of the church. Their writ ran throughout the whole church; in any country and in any congregation their ministry was supreme.

(ii) There were the prophets. They were not attached to any one congregation. They were wandering preachers, going where the spirit moved them and giving to men the message which the Spirit of God gave to them. They had given up home and occupation and the comfort and security of settled life to be the wandering messengers of God. They, too, had a very special place in the church.

(iii) There were the elders. During their first missionary journey part of the work of Paul and Barnabas was to ordain elders in all the local churches which they founded (Acts 14:23). The elders were the officials of the settled community; their work was within their congregation and they did not move outside it. It is clear that they were the backbone of the organization of the early church; on them the routine work and the solidity of the individual congregations depended.

THE PROBLEM OF THE WANDERING PREACHERS

The position of the apostles presented no real problem; they were unique and their position could never really be disputed. But the wandering prophets did present a problem. Their position was one which was singularly liable to abuse. They had an enormous prestige; and it was possible for the most undesirable characters to enter into a way of life in which they moved from place to place, living in very considerable comfort at the expense of the local congregations. A clever rogue could make a very comfortable living as an itinerant prophet. Even the pagan satirists saw this. Lucian, the Greek writer, in his work called the Peregrinus, draws the picture of a man who had found the easiest possible way of making a living without working. He was an itinerant charlatan who lived on the fat the land by travelling round the various communities of the Christians, settling down wherever he liked and living luxuriously at their expense.

John was entirely justified in warning his people that the wrong kind of wandering prophets might come claiming hospitality and in saying that they must on no account be received. There is no doubt that in the early church these wandering prophets became a problem. Some of them were heretical teachers, even if they were sincerely convinced of their own teaching. Some were nothing better than plausible rogues who had found an easy way to make a comfortable living. That is the picture which lies behind Second John.

THE CLASH OF MINISTRIES

But the situation behind Third John is in some ways even more serious. The problem figure is Diotrephes. He is the man who will have nothing to do with wandering teachers and who seeks to eject anyone who dares to give them a welcome. He is the man who will not accept the authority of John and whom John brands as a domineering character. There is much more behind this than meets the eye. This was no storm in a tea-cup; it was a fundamental cleavage between the local and the itinerant ministry.

Obviously the whole structure of the church depended on a strong settled ministry. That is to say, its very existence depended on a strong and authoritative eldership. As time went on the settled ministry was bound to chafe under the remote control of even one so famous as John the aged; and to resent the possibly upsetting invasions of wandering prophets and evangelists. It was by no means impossible that, however well-intentioned they were, these itinerants could do far more harm than good.

Here is the situation behind Third John. John represents the old apostolic remote control; Demetrius and his band of missionaries represent the wandering prophets and preachers; Diotrephes represents the settled ministry of the local elders, who wish to run their own congregation and regard the wandering preachers as dangerous intruders; Gaius represents the good, well-meaning man who is torn in two and cannot make up his mind.

What happened in this case, we do not know. But the end of the matter in the church was that the wandering preachers faded from the scene and the apostles in the nature of things passed from this earth, and the settled ministry became the ministry of the church. In a sense even in the modern church the problem of the itinerant evangelist and the settled ministry is not fully solved; but these two little letters are of the most fascinating interest because they show the organization of the church in a transition stage, when the clash between the itinerant and the settled ministry was beginning to emerge and-who knows?-Diotrephes may not have been as bad as he is painted nor altogether wrong.

PURPOSE: John’s purpose for writing the letter was twofold.

1. To exhort the lady to love all believers no matter what they did. Apparently, she had taken a stand for Christ against false teachers, and some in the church were criticizing, backbiting, and turning against her. She needed to love them despite their rotten and ungodly behavior.

2. To exhort the lady to continue to stand against false teachers and not to let them into her home. The church was probably meeting in her home; therefore, the importance of refusing hospitality to false teachers could not be overstressed. (What a lesson for today!)

SPECIAL FEATURES:

1. 2 John is "A General Epistle." That is, it is not written to a specific church. It is a highly personal letter written from the heart of a tender minister who deeply loves this dear lady in the Lord.

2. 2 John is "An Epistle Governing Traveling Ministers such as Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists, and Missionaries." After the apostles died off, a clash arose over the ministers of local churches and the traveling ministers. There were some false ministers who had begun to fill the pulpits of the local churches and others who had begun to travel about taking advantage of the Christians who were kind enough to provide them food and lodging during their ministry and stay (2 John 10). Because of this abuse, some within the churches arose and began to oppose all traveling ministers (Diotrephes of 3 John is an example of this). John writes the elect lady to warn her of false teachers. But on the other hand, he writes Gaius to encourage him to receive the true prophets (3 John). 3 John shows that the conflict had become so heated that Diotrephes was even trying to have church members expelled if they accepted the traveling minister (cp. 3 John).

3. 2 John is "An Epistle Combating False Teachers and Their Doctrinal Errors."

GREETING: THE ELECT OR CHOSEN LADY

2 John 1:1-4 (NIV) "The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth--and not I only, but also all who know the truth-- {2} because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: {3} Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love. {4} It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us."

(v. 1-4) Introduction: this is a soft and tender exhortation to a Christian mother and her children. It is a beautiful exhortation, yet it is a strong challenge. The elect lady is taken by some to refer to a church and by others to refer to a particular lady in the local church. After looking at all the arguments for both positions, it seems far more natural to take the address as referring to a dear lady who loved the Lord with all her heart. There is a possibility that she had written John about the problem of false teaching that had infiltrated the church. Remember: there were no church buildings in that day and time; therefore, believers met in the homes of committed members. There is a good possibility that the church met in the home of this dear lady (cp. 2 John 10). Whatever the case, John was writing her as a dear friend and warning her against the false teaching. This first section deals solely with the lady and her children. She is the elect or chosen lady.

1. She was elect, chosen by God (v.1).

2. She was loved in the truth (v.1-2).

3. She lived in truth and love (v.3).

4. She had children who walked in the truth (v.4).

(v. 1) Election: she was elect. Elect means to be chosen by God. It means to be one of God’s holy and beloved followers. This is exactly what Paul said about believers: he said they were the "elect of God, holy and beloved." This dear mother was chosen by God to be one of His elect, one of His holy and beloved followers.

1. She was elected to be holy. The word "holy" (hagios) means separated or set apart. God had called this dear mother out of the world and away from the old life that it offered, the old life of sin and death. She was elected to be holy, to have nothing to do with the worldly pleasures and possessions of the world. She was to be separated and set apart unto God Himself and the new life He offers, the new life of righteousness and eternity.

2. She was elected to be one of the beloved followers of God. God had called her to turn away from the old life who might have...

· been disobedient to God.

· ignored and neglected God.

· disbelieved God.

· rebelled against and rejected God.

· cursed God.

God had chosen her to be His elect, one of His dear followers. She was elected to be holy and beloved before Him; to receive His love in Christ Jesus and to allow Him to shower His love upon her and her children. She was elected to follow God with all her heart and life; elected to live a holy life, a life as one of God’s beloved children.

(v. 1-2) Truth—Love: she was loved in the truth.

John used the word truth four times in this salutation, so it is an important word. Basically, it means "reality" as opposed to mere appearance, the ultimate that is the basis for all that we see around us. Jesus Christ is "the truth" (John 14:6) and God’s Word is "truth" (John 17:17). God has revealed truth in the person of His Son and in the pages of His Word. He has given us "the Spirit of Truth" to teach us and to enable us to know truth (John 14:16-17; 16:13).

But the truth is not only an objective revelation from the Father, but also a subjective experience in our personal lives. We cannot only know the truth, but we can "love in the truth" and live "for the truth’s sake." The truth "lives in us, and shall be with us forever." This means that "knowing the truth" is much more than giving assent to a body of doctrines, though that is important. It means that the believer’s life is controlled by a love for the truth and a desire to magnify the truth.

John opened his letter on this note of "truth" because there were false teachers abroad who were spreading error. He called them deceivers and antichrists (2 John 7). John was not one to say that all religious teachings are true in one way or another, and that we should not be critical just as long as people are sincere. To John, there was a great difference, in fact, a deadly difference, between truth and error; and he would not tolerate error.

Since the truth will be with us forever, we certainly ought to get acquainted with it now and learn to love it. Of course, all truth centers in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, with whom we shall live forever (John 14:1-6). It is wonderful to contemplate the fact that we shall spend eternity surrounded by truth, growing in our knowledge of truth, and serving the God of truth.

Many false teachers argue, "But Jesus is the ‘son of God’ in the same way all of us are God’s sons, made in the image of God! When Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, He was not really claiming to be God." But when Jesus said to the Jews, "I and My Father are One," they threatened to stone Him! Why? Because He had blasphemed! "Because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God" (John 10:30-33). They knew what He meant when He called Himself the "Son of God" and claimed equality with God.

The Christian faith stands or falls on the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. If He is only man, then He cannot save us, no matter how gifted or unique He might be. If He is not God come in human flesh, then the Christian faith is lies—not truth—and John opened this letter with the wrong emphasis.

Note two significant points.

1. This tells us how we should love one another. We are to love just as John and all the early believers loved—"in the truth."

What does this mean?

Þ It means that we are to love one another in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said that He is the truth.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Jesus Christ is the truth, the very ideal of humanity, the Ideal and Perfect Man. All that a person should be, all that God wants a person to be—it is all wrapped up in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ embraces the ideal and perfect truth; He is the very embodiment of truth; He is the very life that a man should live.

Þ But note: Jesus Christ also said that the Word of God is truth.

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

All that a person should be is also written out for man in the Word of God. God’s Word spells out the perfect and ideal man, just what God wants a person to be. The Word of God itself is the truth.

How are we to love one another? In the truth. We are to love one another in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Word of God. This is significant, for it means that we are to love one another as Jesus Christ loved and as the Word of God instructs us. Note: this is a love that is entirely different from the love that is displayed in the world. The world’s love focuses upon...

· infatuation and passion

· feelings and sentimentality

· personal pleasure and gratification

· loving those who love us

But the love of Jesus Christ and of the Word of God is a different love. It is the love that gives sacrificially, that helps people even if they are unlovely and unattractive. It is the love that reaches out to people even when they do not deserve it. The love of Christ loves everyone no matter who they are or what they have done. The love that we are to have is the love of Christ, the love that knows this fact: Christ loved us and gave Himself for us even when we did not deserve it. It is the love that tells us this: we must do as He did, love a person regardless of who he is.

This means a most wonderful thing. It means that no matter who we are, no matter what we have done, no matter how terrible we have been, we are loved by Christ. But, in addition to Christ, it means that there are others, a multitude of people, who love us. All of God’s elect, all of His holy and beloved followers, love us. No matter how unloved we may feel, how lonely and empty, there is a multitude of people who love us just as Christ loves us.

Þ The lonely and empty just need to get up and go to church and be around God’s holy and beloved people. And God’s dear people need to get out into the community more and more to reach the lonely and empty.

2. This tells us why we are to love one another. We are to love for the truth’s sake, that is, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Word of God. John and the early believers loved this dear lady "for the truth’s sake." That is, they loved her for the sake of Christ, because they loved Him and they wanted to please Him. Jesus Christ had come to earth to show us that God loves us and to show us that we should love one another. Therefore, nothing pleases Christ any more than our loving one another. If we wish to please Him, we must love one another; we must love just like the Word of God says to love.

Note: the truth dwells in us and shall be with us forever. This is the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, of His Holy Spirit within us. If we know Christ, really know Him, then He lives within our hearts. The truth dwells within us and shall be with us forever. Jesus Christ is within us to help us to love as He loved.

Thought 1. This means a great thing to the lonely and empty, to all those who feel unloved. They can know this: genuine believers will love them. Genuine believers will embrace and care for them and do all they can to ease their hurt and pain. The lonely and empty just need to get up and go find a church of true believers.

(v. 3) Grace—Mercy—Peace: she lived in truth and love with other believers. This is a declaration of fact not a prayer. John says that the grace, mercy, and peace of God and of Christ are with believers. There is no question about it: a true believer knows the grace, mercy, and peace of God and of Christ. The idea is this: believers know the fulness of God and of Christ in truth and love. God and Christ flood their hearts and lives with all the fulness of life—with grace, mercy, and peace.

1. Grace means the undeserved and unmerited favor and blessings of God; the depth and richness of the heart and mind of God; the kindness and love that dwells within the very nature of God. God’s grace covers all of life.

2. Mercy means feelings of pity, compassion, affection, and kindness. It is a desire to succor; to tenderly draw unto oneself and to care for. Two things are essential in order to have mercy: seeing a need and being able to meet that need. God sees our need and feels for us (Ephes. 2:1-3). Therefore, He acts; He has mercy upon us...

· God withholds His judgment.

· God provides a way for us to be saved.

Mercy arises from a heart of love: God has mercy upon us because He loves us. His mercy has been demonstrated in two great ways:

Þ God has withheld His judgment from us—withheld it even when we deserve it.

Þ God has provided a way for us to be saved through the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ died, He died for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself and bore the judgment of sin for us. Therefore, if we trust in Christ and are baptized into Christ, God does not count sin against us. Instead, He counts the righteousness of Christ for us. We become acceptable to God through the righteousness of Christ. The great mercy of God is this:

Þ He allowed Christ, His very own Son, to die for us. He actually allowed His own Son to bear the punishment of our sins for us.

Þ He loves us so much that He will forgive our sins if we will only trust Christ.

The point is this: the true believer is a person upon whom God and Christ have poured out their mercy. It is not that believers are going to experience the mercy of God, they have already received the mercy of God.

3. Peace means to be bound, joined, and weaved together. It means to be assured, confident, and secure in the love and care of God. It means to have a sense, a consciousness, a knowledge that God will...

A person can experience true peace only as he comes to know Jesus Christ. Only Christ can bring peace to the human heart, the kind of peace that brings deliverance and assurance to the human soul.

Note one other significant point: Jesus Christ is said to be the Son of the Father. This is a clear declaration that Jesus Christ is God, that He possesses the very nature of God the Father. Note also that grace, mercy, and peace come from Jesus Christ as well as from the Father. The Son is said to be equal with the Father.

(v. 4) Truth—Commandment: she had children who walked in truth. Remember John is some distance away from this dear friend of his, so far away that he is writing instead of visiting her. Note that some of her children had been in the city where John was, and John had seen them and noted that they were walking in Christ. In fact, John says they were a dynamic testimony of the truth. They were walking in Christ, walking just as we have been commanded to walk, walking just as the Word of God says we are to walk. Why were the children in the city where John was?

Þ Were they there on business? Travelling salesmen? Businessmen or women? Visiting relatives or friends? Vacationing? Sight-seeing? Away at some university?

We are not told. All we know is that John saw them someplace in the city and apparently was able to observe their lives long enough to note that they walked faithfully in Christ.

Note several strong lessons for us.

1) What a dynamic witness the mother had been to her children! She had reared them to know the Lord and to live in His Word.

2) No matter where we are, at work or at play, we are to live for Christ. No matter where we travel, we should do as this dear mother’s children did: walk in Christ and maintain a dynamic testimony for Christ.

THE COMMANDMENT OF LOVE

2 John 1:5-6 (NIV) "And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. {6} And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

(v. 5-6) Introduction: note the word "beseech" (eroto). It means to urge, beseech, beg, and entreat. It has the idea of urgency and necessity. What John is now saying is urgent; it is an absolute necessity. What is it? Love—we must love one another. Love is not an option for believers: believers must love one another. Two things are said.

1. Love is not a new commandment (v.5).

2. Love is a behavior—a way of life—a walk (v.6).

(v. 5) Love: love is not a new commandment. It is the old commandment, the very same commandment that we had from the beginning. Note how John immediately brings up the subject of love. This tells us something: the dear friend of John was having problems with some people. Some people were mistreating her Lord and her. We know from the next passage that there were some false teachers who wanted to teach in her church or else they wanted to use her house for some purpose.

Apparently she had refused to grant the request, and as a result, she was being criticized. Whatever the case was, she had actually refused to open her home to some false teachers or else John was instructing her not to welcome them (cp. 2 John 7-11). In either case, the dear lady was under attack by some in the church. She was being...

Now note John’s exhortation to her: love them. "We must love one another. No matter what they say about you; no matter how they mistreat you; no matter how they hurt you—love them."

The point is this: love is the very first commandment that man ever received from God, and it is the very first commandment that we ever received from Christ. It is even the first commandment that we receive when we become a believer. Love is the first commandment of the church itself.

Þ God had said from the beginning that we are to love our neighbor.

"Love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the lord" (Leviticus 19:18).

Þ Jesus Christ proclaimed that love would be the distinctive mark of His followers, the very mark that would show the world that a person was a true follower of His.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

Now note another fact about this dear lady of God: she was being exhorted to love those who were mistreating her. She was not being told...

· to love her friend but not her enemy.

· to love the good but not the bad.

· to love the righteous but not the sinner.

· to love the acceptable but not the unacceptable.

· to love the friendly but not the abusive.

· to love the kind but not the criticizer.

This is a totally new concept of love. Man has always felt that he was to love his friends. He has always felt free to take others, especially those who had mistreated him, and...

But John says, "no!" He instructs this dear friend to love those who mistreated her. How? How can we possibly love those who mistreat us? There is only one way: we must love as God loves. We must possess the love of God within our hearts and lives.

(v. 6) Love—Obedience—Believer, Life and Walk: love is a behavior, a way of life, a walk; it is obeying God’s commandments. Note the phrase: "This is love." Love is obedience, that is, the only way we can show that we love God is by doing what pleases Him. When we love someone, we want to do things that please him or her. We want their acceptance and approval; we want them to love us in return. Therefore, we are careful to do things that will please them and win their favor and love. The same is true with us and God. If we love God, we do those things that please Him. We keep His commandments. What is His commandment? "This is the commandment"—the great commandment—the commandment that you have heard from the beginning: "that you should walk in [love]." How does a believer walk in love? He walks upon earth just like Jesus Christ walked: he loves everyone. He does the great acts of love, and the great acts of love are clearly spelled out by Scripture in 1 Cor. 13:4-7. This great passage gives the very behavior that is to characterize the believer, the very way the believer is to live among others. This is what loving others means.

1. Love "suffers long" (makrothumei): is patient with people. The word always refers to being patient with people, not with circumstances (William Barclay. The Letters to the Corinthians. "The Daily Study Bible." Philadelphia, PA: The Westminister Press, 1954, p.133).

Love suffers a long, long time...

· no matter the evil and injury done by a person.

· no matter the neglect or ignoring by a loved one.

Love suffers a long, long time without resentment, anger, or seeking revenge. Love controls itself in order to win the person and to help him to live, work, and serve as he should.

2. Love is kind (chresteuetai): courteous, good, helpful, useful, giving, showing and showering favors. Love does not resent evil; it does not revel in the hurt and neglect. Love reaches out in kindness: in helpfulness, in giving, and in showering favors upon the person who neglects or hurts oneself.

3. Love does not envy (zeloi): is not jealous; does not have feelings against others because of what they have, such as gifts, position, friends, recognition, possessions, popularity, abilities. Love does not begrudge or attack or downplay the abilities and success of others. Love shares and joys and rejoices in the experience and good of others.

4. Love does not vaunt itself (peopereuetai): is not boastful; does not brag nor seek recognition, honor, or applause from others. On the contrary, love seeks to give: to recognize, to honor, to applaud the other person.

5. Love is not puffed up (phusioutai): prideful, arrogant, conceited; does not think nor act as though oneself is better or above others. Love is modest and humble and recognizes and honors others.

6. Love does not behave itself unseemly (aschemonei): unbecomingly, rudely, indecently, unmannerly, disgracefully. Love does nothing to shame oneself. Love is orderly and controlled; and it behaves and treats all persons with respect, honoring and respecting who they are.

7. Love seeks not her own: is not selfish; does not insist upon its own rights (Williams). Love is not focused upon who one is nor upon what one has done. Love seeks to serve, not have others serving oneself. Love is acknowledging others, not insisting that others acknowledge oneself; it is giving to others, not insisting that others give to oneself.

8. Love is not easily provoked (paroxunetai): not easily angered; not ready to take offence; not quick tempered; not "touchy" (Phillips, as quoted by Leon Morris. The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. "The Tyndale Bible Commentaries," ed. by RVG Tasker. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1958, p.184). It is not easily aroused to anger; does not become "exasperated" (Barclay). Love controls the emotions, and never becomes angry without a cause (Romans 12:18).

9. Love does not think evil (logizetai to kakon): does not consider the wrong suffered; is not resentful; does not hold the evil done to oneself. Love suffers the evil done to it and forgets it.

10. Love does not rejoice in iniquity (adikia): unrighteousness, evil, wrong-doing. Love does not take pleasure in the unrighteousness and sin of others; it does not feed upon sin and wrong, nor does it pass along the stories of sin and wrong. Man’s nature is too often fed the tragedy of evil, whether personal sin or natural disaster (cp. the daily news reports and most subjects of conversation between so many people).

11. Love rejoices in the truth: rejoices when the truth is known and when it prevails; rejoices when others are recognized and promoted for who they are and for what they have contributed. Love rejoices when the truth is rooted and grounded in a person and among the people of the world. Note that love never covers nor hides the truth; love is courageous in that it faces the truth.

12. Love bears all things: the word bears (stegei) means both to cover all things and to bear up under all things. Love does both: it stands up under the weight and onslaught of all things and it covers up the faults of others. It has no pleasure in exposing the wrong and weaknesses of others. Love bears up under any neglect, abuse, ridicule—anything that is thrown against it.

13. Love believes all things: is "completely trusting" (Barclay); "always eager to believe the best" (Moffatt, as quoted by Leon Morris); is "ever ready to believe the best" (Amplified New Testament). Love sees and understands the circumstances and accepts and forgives and believes the very best about a person.

14. Love hopes all things: it "never ceases to hope" (Barclay); it expects the good to eventually triumph and to gain the victory; it refuses to accept failure; it always hopes for the best and for the ultimate triumph of the good—no matter how fallen or how tragic the fall or how difficult gaining the victory may seem.

15. Love endureth all things: the word endures (huopmenei) is a military word meaning to stand against the attack of an enemy. Love actively fights and endures all attacks. Love is strong, full of fortitude and fight, and it struggles against any and every assault to buckle in to being unloving. Love conquers and triumphs—always—because it endures all things. No matter what attacks love, named or unnamed, it endures the attack and continues to love.

The point is well made: the dear friend of John was to walk in love no matter how others treated her. She was to love even as God’s Son had loved when He was upon earth. So are we.

THE WARNING AGAINST DECEIVERS AND FALSE TEACHERS

2 John 1:7-13 (NIV) "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. {8} Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. {9} Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. {10} If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. {11} Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. {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, so that our joy may be complete. {13} The children of your chosen sister send their greetings."

(v. 7-13) Introduction: one of the greatest problems faced by believers is false teaching. False teaching abounds everywhere. No matter which direction we turn, there are deceivers and imposters who go by the name of Christian, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; yet they are anything but followers of Him. But their teaching is so insidious, and it contains enough of the truth that millions are ensnared by their seduction. This is the importance of this passage: it is a warning against deceivers or false teachers.

1. Guard against deceivers (v.7).

2. Watch yourself: do not lose the things already wrought in you—receive a full reward (v.8).

3. Do not go too far: stay in the doctrine of Christ—prove your salvation (v.9).

4. Do not receive a deceiver; do not compromise: guard your testimony (v.10-11).

5. Conclusion: much exhortation is needed (v.12-13).

Already, in John 4:2, John has dealt with the heretics who deny the reality of the incarnation. There is one difficult. In 1 John 4:2 the Greek is that Jesus has come in the flesh. The idea is expressed in a participle and the participle is in the past tense. It is the fact that the incarnation has happened which is stressed. Here there is a change and the participle is in the present tense: the literal translation would be that Jesus comes or is coming in the flesh. As far as the language goes this could mean either of two things.

(i) It could mean that Jesus is always coming in the flesh, that there is a kind of permanence about the incarnation, that it was not one act which finished in the thirty years during which Jesus in Palestine but is timeless. That would be a great thought and would mean that now and always Jesus Christ, and through him, is entering into the human situation and into human life.

(ii) It could be a reference to the Second Coming; and it could mean that Jesus is coming again in the flesh. It may well be that there was a belief in the early church that there was to be a second coming of Jesus in the flesh, a kind of incarnation in glory to follow the incarnation of humiliation. That, too, would be a great thought.

But it may well be that C. H. Dodd is right when he says that in a late Greek writer like John, who did not know Greek as the great classical knew it, we cannot lay all this stress on tense; and that we are better to take it that he means the same as he meant in 1 John 4:2. That is, these deceivers are denying the reality of the incarnation and therefore denying that God can fully enter into the life of man.

It is intensely significant to note how the great thinkers held on with both hands to the reality of the incarnation. In the second century, again and again Ignatius insists that Jesus was truly born, that he truly become man, that he truly suffered and that he truly died. Vincent Taylor, in his book on The Person of Christ, reminds us of two great statements of the incarnation. Martin Luther said of Jesus: "He ate, drank, slept, waked; was weary, sorrowful, rejoicing; he wept and he laughed; he knew hunger and thirst and sweat; he talked, he toiled, he prayed . . . so that there was no difference between him and other men, save only this, that he was God, and had no sin." Emil Brunner cites that passage, and then goes on to say, "The Son of God in whom we are able to believe must be such a One that it is possible to mistake him for any ordinary man."

If God could enter life only as a disembodied phantom, the body stands for ever despised; then there can be no real communion between the divine and the human; then there can be real salvation. He had to become what we are to make us what he is.

In verses 8 and 9 we hear beneath the words of John the claims of the false teachers.

It is their claim that they are developing Christianity discovering more truly what it means. John insists that they are destroying Christianity and wrecking the foundation which has been laid and on which everything must be built.

Verse 9 is enteresting and significant. We have translated the first phrase everyone who goes too far. The Greek is proagon. The verb means to go on ahead. The false teachers claimed that they were the progressives, the advanced thinkers, the men of the open and adventurous mind. John himself was one of the most adventurous thinkers of the New Testament. But he insists that, however far a man may advance, he must abide in the teaching of Jesus Christ or he loses touch with God. Here, then , is the great truth. John is not condemning advanced thinking; but he is saying that Jesus Christ must be the touchstone of all thinking and that whatever is out of touch with him can never be right. John would say, "Think-but take your thinking to the touchstone Of Jesus Christ and the New Testament picture of him." Christianity is not a nebulous, uncontrolled theosophy; it is anchored to the historical figure of Jesus Christ.

(v. 7) Teachers, False—Deceivers—Antichrist: first, guard against deceivers. From encouraging truth, John turned to opposing error. He joined his voice with Peter’s to warn that there are deceivers in the world. The word deceiver implies much more than teaching false doctrine. It also includes leading people into wrong living. John has already made it clear that truth and life go together. What we believe determines how we behave. Wrong doctrine and wrong living always go together.

Where did these false teachers come from originally? "For many deceivers have gone out into the world" (literal translation). They went out from the church! At one time, they professed to believe "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3), but they turned from that faith and abandoned the truth and the church. "They went out from us, but they were not of us" (1 John 2:19). "Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:30).

It takes constant spiritual vigilance to protect a family or a local church from the insidious attacks of false teachers. Note that there are many deceivers! Why? Second Peter 2:2 gives the answer: "And many shall follow their pernicious ways." I think it was Mark Twain who said that a lie runs around the world while truth is putting on her shoes. Fallen human nature wants to believe lies and resist God’s truth. We have already learned from 2 Peter 2 the devious methods the apostates use to seduce unwary and unstable people. No wonder they are successful!

These deceivers are also "antichrists" (see 1 John 2:18-29). The Greek prefix anti means both "instead of" and "against." These teachers are against Christ because they deny that He is indeed God come in the flesh (see 1 John 4:1-6). They not only deny the truth about Christ, but they give their converts a "substitute Christ" who is not the Christ of the Christian faith. The first question you want to ask any teacher, preacher, or author is, "What do you think about Christ? Is He God come in the flesh?" If he hesitates, or if he denies that Jesus is God come in the flesh, then you can be sure you have a false teacher.

To abide in the truth means to remain true to the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. The false teachers had departed from the truth and from the church fellowship and, therefore, they were dangerous. John pointed out three dangers the church and its members face because of deceivers in the world.

A deceiver is an imposter, a person who claims to be a follower of Christ, but he is not—not really. He does not live like Christ taught us to live, and he does not believe the truth about Christ. He lives and teaches something entirely different than what Christ lived and taught. Note three significant facts.

1. There are many deceivers in the world. There were many in the days of John and the elect lady, and there have been many ever since. Deceivers are in every area of society—in our factories and plants, schools and universities, clubs and recreational halls, offices and businesses, and even in our churches and religious societies.

Some are businessmen; others are employees. Some are teachers; others are students. Some are ministers; others are laymen. Deceivers are everywhere, imposters who claim to be Christian, but they do not live for Christ nor do they believe what Christ taught. By their lives and by their beliefs and teachings, they deceive people. Through everyday conversation and sharing and from the teaching positions of the world, they ensnare people into the net of their false beliefs.

2. Note who a deceiver is: he is a person who denies that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. That is, he denies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Þ He denies the deity of Jesus Christ: that He is the Son of God who came out of (ek) heaven, out from the spiritual world and dimension into this world; who came through the womb of a virgin as the God-Man to save the world.

Þ He denies that Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God who lived a perfect and righteous life and thereby secured the ideal and perfect righteousness for man.

Þ He denies the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: that He died as the sacrifice for man’s sins and that He arose from the dead to conquer death for man.

Þ He denies the Lordship of Jesus Christ: that He is truly the Son of God seated at the right hand of God as the Lord and God of the universe.

Þ He denies the return of Jesus Christ to earth: that He is coming again to execute judgment upon the earth.

Any person can be a deceiver. No matter who we are, if we do not believe that God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has come in the flesh, then we deceive people and mislead them. We ensnare them into false belief and doom them to be separated from God forever. How? By teaching them that they can be good enough on their own to become acceptable to God; that they can do enough good and be religious enough to make God accept them. But this is false teaching, for God is perfect and He can accept only perfection. No person is perfect; therefore, all persons are doomed if they present only their own goodness to God. Their goodness is not perfection. We have all committed some sins, and we are all short of God’s glory. We all stand guilty before God. Therefore, there has to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins. This is the glorious news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came to earth to live a sinless life and to become the Perfect and Ideal Man. This He did so that He could be the perfect and ideal sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ has taken our sins upon Himself and borne the punishment for them. Therefore, sin is taken care of. Sin can be removed from us, and God can accept us in Christ as sinless and perfect.

This is the point: this is the reason that God had to send His Son into the world. If we deny Jesus Christ, if we do not trust Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, then we are doomed—doomed because we still bear our sins. And God cannot allow a single sinner to contaminate and dirty the perfection of heaven. Sin has to be removed before God can ever accept us and allow us to live in His presence.

Therefore, any person who denies that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is a deceiver. He is denying what God has done. And most tragic of all: he leads other people astray.

Note one other fact about this verse of Scripture. The words "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" is in the present tense. That is, the deceiver denies that God or the Son of God could ever come to earth.

Þ He denies that God’s Son came the first time; denies that Jesus the carpenter was the Son of God.

Þ He denies that the Son of God is ever coming; denies a second coming or any other coming of the Son of God to earth.

The deceiver just does not believe that God could or would ever come to earth. He does not believe that God could become a man, or else that He ever would become a man. And if God could come to earth, the deceiver sees no need for such an act—for to him man is capable of becoming good enough to secure God’s approval and acceptance on his own.

3. Note that the deceiver is called an antichrist; that is, he is a forerunner of the antichrist.

(v. 8) Watch—Believers, Duty: second, watch yourself so that you will receive a full reward. Remember: John is writing to a dear mother and her children. False teaching was so rampant that the family unit itself needed to be on guard. The family needed to consider what teachers they were listening to and sitting under. Note why: lest they lose the reward for the good works they had already wrought. Believers are to be rewarded for their good works, for their labor for Christ. But there is danger that they can lose their reward. What is that danger? Heeding false teaching. If we heed false teaching, we will lose our reward.

(v. 9) Salvation—Teaching, False: third, abide in the doctrine of Christ. The person who does not abide in the teachings of Christ does not have or possess God. The Greek words are pas ho proagon. They mean to transgress against God by going too far, by trying to move out ahead of Christ. There are many teachers, ministers and laymen alike, who would like to be progressive and creative, to come up with a novel idea, to make some advancement in thought. They want people to recognize and approve them; therefore, they try to impress people. In so doing, they go beyond Christ and what He taught. They twist or branch off from the teachings of Christ. John warns against this: if a person does not stay in the teachings of Christ, then he does not have God. He is not saved; he is not truly born of God. The only person who is born of God is the person who stays in the teachings of Christ. This does not mean that believers are not to be creative and thoughtful. It means that we must not move out beyond Christ and what He taught.

Note: it is the teachings of Christ that we are to follow, not teachings about Christ. As A.T. Robertson says in his Word Pictures In The New Testament (Vol.6, p.254), our standard is to be Christ. We must be progressive and seek after progress, but it should be toward Christ, not away from Him. What are the teachings of Christ? The following verses give us the doctrine of Christ.

(v. 10-11) Hospitality: fourth, do not receive a deceiver or false teacher nor wish him well. Remember: most churches of that day and time met in the homes of prominent members (cp. Romans 16:5; Col. 4:15). It is likely that the church was meeting in the home of this dear lady and her children. If not, then she had apparently refused to provide room and board or to welcome some false teachers into her home. The charge is strong and its meaning is perfectly clear. False teachers are not to be allowed in the church nor in our homes. There is no greater danger to a church or a home than the threat of false teachers. False teachers doom the souls of people, shut them off from Christ. And any person who is shut off from Christ is not acceptable to God. Therefore, the church and the members of our families must be protected at all costs from false teachers. Note: we are not to encourage the false teacher at all; not to welcome him nor to bid him "God speed." If we encourage him, God counts us as a participant in his evil deeds. This means, of course, that we do not support deceivers and false teachers...

· by allowing them to be around our children or young people.

· by allowing them to be around believers where they can share their ideas.

· by allowing them to teach in our churches.

· by attending their meetings.

· by supporting them financially.

· by showing any encouragement whatsoever to them.

Any person who denies Jesus Christ is the most dangerous person alive, for he can doom our children and loved ones and even doom us. Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and God loves His Son with a divine jealousy and vengeance over how men treat Him. No matter what we may feel or think, God is both loving and just, and His justice must be executed the same as His love has been demonstrated. The point is this: God’s justice stands more against those who teach that Jesus Christ is not His Son than against anyone else.

(v. 12-13) Conclusion: much exhortation is needed by believers. John had much that needed to be said to this dear lady and her children. But it would be better to say it to them face to face. Therefore, John planned a trip to visit her and the other believers in the area.

Note how important the gospel is even for believers—so important that John would plan a special trip to share the glorious teachings of Jesus Christ. And remember: John was already an elderly man.

Note that the elect lady had a sister. The final words are greetings from the children of the sister. This is significant: it shows how the gospel had spread throughout the whole family. First one sister was reached for Christ, then the other sister, and then the children of both families. When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, our duty is to do all we can to reach our families for Christ, all our brothers and sisters and their families.

A study of 3 John

THE SPIRITUAL AND BELOVED LEADER: GAIUS, A MAN WHO HELPED MUCH

(3 John 1:1-8 NIV) "The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. {2} Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. {3} It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. {4} I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. {5} Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. {6} They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. {7} It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. {8} We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth."

In the ancient world hospitality was a sacred duty. Strangers were under the protection of Zeus Xenios, Zeus the god of strangers (Xenos is the Greek for a stranger). In the ancient world inns were notoriously unsatisfactory. The Greek had an instinctive dislike of taking money for the giving of hospitality; and, therefore, the profession of innkeeper ranked very low. Inns were notoriously dirty and flea-infested. Innkeepers were notoriously rapacious so that Plato compared them to pirates who hold their guests to ransom before they allow them to escape. The ancient world had a system of guest-friendships whereby families in different parts of the country undertook to give each other's members hospitality when the occasion arose. This connection between families lasted throughout the generations and when it was claimed the claimant brought with him a sumbolon, or token, which identified him to his hosts. Some cities kept an official called the Proxenos in the larger cities to whom their citizens, when travelling, might appeal for shelter and for help.

If the heathen world accepted the obligation of hospitality, it was only to be expected that the Christians would take it even more seriously. It is Peter's injunction: "Practise hospitality ungrudgingly to one another" (1 Peter 4:9). "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers" says the writer to the Hebrews, and adds: "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). In the Pastoral Epistles a widow is to be honoured if she has "shown hospitality" (1 Timothy 5:9). Paul bids the Romans to "practise hospitality" (Romans 12:13).

Hospitality was to be specially the characteristic of the leaders of the church. A bishop must be a man given to hospitality (1 Timothy 3:2). Titus is told to be "hospitable" (Titus 1:8). When we come down to the time of Justin Martyr (A.D. 170) we find that on the Lord's Day the well-to-do contributed as they would and it was the duty of the president of the congregation "to succour the orphans and the widows, and those who through sickness or any other cause are in want, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers sojourning amongst us" (Justin Martyr: First Apology 1:67).

In the early church the Christian home was the place of the open door and the loving welcome. There can be few nobler works than to give a stranger the right of entry to a Christian home. The Christian family circle should always be wide enough to have a place for the stranger, no matter where he comes from or what his colour.

(v. 1-8) Introduction: leadership within the church is critical. Church leaders are chosen to lead people to Jesus Christ. Therefore how leaders live and behave is of critical importance: their lives affect the lives of the whole church. Their behavior often determines the growth of believers and whether or not the church has a dynamic ministry for Christ. This is what the letter of 3 John is all about, leadership within the church. Three leaders are seen, two were godly men and one was a troublemaker. The first leader was Gaius. He is a picture of the spiritual and beloved leader, a man who took the lead within the church by reaching out and helping all those who needed help.

1. He was well-beloved (v.1).

2. He prospered spiritually—despite ill health (v.2).

3. He walked in the truth (v.3-4).

4. He helped Christian believers and strangers (v.5-8).

(v. 1) Gaius—Beloved: he was well-beloved. Note that John calls Gaius beloved four times (3 John 1, 2, 5, 11). Gaius was dear to the heart of John. He was deeply loved. Why? Apparently they were close friends, but their friendship was not the main reason for their bond. The main reason for their close bond was Christ. Gaius had trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior and was faithful to the call God had given him. He was a leader in the church and he did his job well. He lived for Christ and performed his functions for the sake of Christ and the church. John loved Gaius because he was both a dear friend and a great servant of Christ.

(v. 2) Gaius—Prosperity—Health: he prospered spiritually despite ill health. Gaius was apparently a man who suffered some illness or disease or was at least subject to being sick a lot. His health crosses John’s mind, and John wants him to know that he is thinking and praying for his health just as he is praying for his soul to prosper. Note two things.

1. Gaius’ soul did prosper. John actually says that it prospered. The idea is that he was growing spiritually, growing stronger and stronger in Christ and in the fruit of the Spirit. He experienced the fulness of God day by day...

Gaius, the church leader, prospered in that he experienced both abundant and eternal life. He knew God’s care and guidance every day of his life.

2. John prayed for Gaius to prosper and to be in good health. In this case, John was wanting Gaius to be prosperous and fulfilled and satisfied in all of life...

· in his home

· in his work

· in his relationships

· in his leadership

· in his church

· in whatever he undertook

We should be praying for one another—for all believers—to be prosperous and fulfilled and satisfied in all that we undertake. We should be praying for success and joy in all of life. But remember: success does not mean money as much as it means joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction. Nothing can ever take the place of peace of heart and mind. And peace comes only through Jesus Christ.

(v. 3-4) Truth—Gaius: he walked in the truth. Note two significant facts.

1. Gaius, the church leader, had a strong testimony among the believers of the church. Some of the believers had visited the city where John was and shared the testimony of Gaius with John. What they shared was this: Gaius walked in the truth. This means that he walked in the truth of Jesus Christ and in the truth of God’s Word.

Þ Jesus Christ said that He is the truth.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Jesus Christ is the truth, the very ideal of humanity, the Ideal and Perfect Man. Jesus Christ is everything that a person should be, all that God wants a person to be. Therefore, Gaius walked in Jesus Christ. He patterned his life after the truth, after Jesus Christ Himself.

Þ Jesus Christ also said that the Word of God is truth.

"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

All that a person should be is also written out in the Word of God. God’s Word spells out the ideal and perfect person, just what God wants a person to be. Therefore, Gaius obeyed the Word of God. He walked in the truth of God’s Word and lived as God’s Word says to live.

2. Gaius brought joy to the hearts of believers. Not only were the believers joying in the testimony of Gaius, but John himself joyed in Gaius as well. But note again: he was not joying in Gaius’ friendship, although he was bound to be thankful for a friend as close as Gaius. John was joyful over the Christian life Gaius was living, over the fact that Gaius walked in the truth.

Note another significant fact: Gaius was apparently standing firm in the truth despite severe opposition from another church leader and a clique that the divisive leader had drawn around him (3 John 9-11).

What a man Gaius must have been! It is difficult enough to stand against the normal temptations and trials of life, but when fellow believers begin to attack us, it makes standing up for the truth even more difficult. The tendency is to back off and just keep silent and let things run their course. But note Gaius. He stood up for the truth of Christ and of God’s Word. He stood against those within the church who were not following the truth and were damaging and destroying the church by their divisiveness.

(v. 5-8) Gaius—Ministering—Hospitality—Benevolence: he helped Christian believers and strangers. This tells us why John was writing to Gaius and the church. There were some in the church who did not like the idea of travelling ministers visiting and holding meetings in their church. They were opposed to any kind of minister or ministry that was not settled within the church itself. They did not, therefore, want the travelling evangelists, missionaries, prophets, and teachers preaching and teaching in their church. They saw no use for their ministry. They felt...

· that believers could learn all they needed to know from their own ministers and from others in the settled ministry.

· that they did not need help in reaching out to the lost.

· that they could carry out the mission of Christ without the help of travelling ministers.

This will be seen when the opposition is discussed in the next passage and outline. For now, note three significant points.

1. Gaius was doing all he could to help the travelling ministers. He was opening his home and supporting them—so much so that he had a strong testimony in the ministry of hospitality. Note that he even opened his home to strangers in order to reach and grow them in Christ.

2. Gaius is to continue to receive and support the travelling ministers (3 John 6b). Note: it is said that this is exactly what God Himself would do. Gaius is told this is the godly way, the godly thing to do. That is, it is exactly what God would do; therefore, it is what the church leader is to do. There are two strong reasons why.

a. Travelling ministers should be received and supported as they go forth for Christ. They have dedicated their lives to serve Christ by reaching the lost and growing believers, and the church needs their ministry. In addition, they have made the commitment by faith, without receiving a regular income.

b. Travelling ministers should be received and supported because we need to be fellow-workers in the truth. There is no question: they are workers in the truth. Travelling evangelists, missionaries, prophets, and teachers alike are carrying the gospel of truth across the world. The only question is: Are we in the local church going to be fellow workers with them? John says that it is the very thing that God Himself would do. Therefore, we in the local church must labor with all those who walk in the truth of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. We must labor with all those chosen by God to carry forth the Word of truth, the Word of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gaius is a dynamic example for the leaders of the local church. All Christian leaders are o...

· open their homes to strangers: college students who are away from home, single parents with children, the homeless, the needy, the hungry, foreigners, and all others.

· open their homes in supporting the travelling evangelists and teachers who are faithfully serving our Lord Jesus.

· open their homes to the various ministries of the church such as Bible Study groups, youth meetings and fellowships.

THE DIVISIVE CHURCH LEADER AND THE GODLY MINISTER

(3 John 1:9-14 NIV) "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. {10} So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. {11} Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. {12} Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone--and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. {13} I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. {14} I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name."

In the early church there was a double ministry. There were the apostles and the prophets whose sphere was not confined to any one congregation and whose authority extended all over the church. There were also the elders; they were the permanent settled ministry of the local congregations and their very backbone.

In the early days this presented no problem, for the local congregations were still very much infants who had not yet learned to walk by themselves and to handle their own affairs. But as time went on there came a tension between the two kinds of ministry. As the local churches became stronger and more conscious of their identity, they inevitably became less and less willing to submit to remote control or to the invasion of itinerant strangers.

(v. 9-14) Introduction: a divisive leader is one of the most serious problems that ever confronts a church. When a church has within its ranks a divisive leader, the very life and ministry of the church are threatened. A divisive leader always carries a church through one of its most traumatic experiences. He usually gathers others around him into a clique of opposition, and when he goes this far, he becomes much more of a threat to the life of the church. This is the very reason that 3 John was written. There was a divisive leader in the church who was causing serious problems. In writing, John covers the traits of the divisive leader and he tells us how to handle him.

1. The divisive church leader (v.9-11).

2. The godly leader who stands in the truth (v.12).

3. Conclusion: the problem in the church was so severe that a personal visit was needed by the minister John (v.13-14).

(v. 9-11) Divisive Church Leaders—Diotrephes—Discipline: there is the divisive church leader, a man called Diotrephes. Who was he? All we know is what is said here, for this is the only time he is mentioned in Scripture. But a great deal is given here. We can tell that he was a prominent leader in the church. Note: he had enough authority to reject John’s letter, and remember John was not only an apostle, but one of the three closest apostles to Christ (3 John 9). He also had enough authority to stop travelling ministers from holding meetings in the church, ministers such as evangelists, teachers, and prophets (3 John 10). He even had the authority to force people out of the church (3 John 10).

All this points to his being a minister or one of the highest lay officials in the church such as a deacon. What an enormous opportunity and privilege he had! Holding such a high call in the church, he could have been a dynamic example of what a believer should be—an example of love, care, ministry, outreach, evangelism, and of purity of life. But the legacy he has left behind is a far cry from being a testimony. His legacy is division; he was a divisive leader. Imagine! After his death, the major thing remembered about him is that he was the person who caused division in the church.

Six things are said about him.

1. Diotrephes, the divisive leader, loved recognition. He loved to be preeminent, to be first in the church (3 John 9).

Þ He wanted people recognizing him as the most important leader in the church.

Þ He wanted people coming to him for advice and counsel.

Þ He wanted people seeking his opinion first before they went to others.

Þ He wanted all new ideas and ministries and programs to be brought to him first.

Þ He wanted to sit in on all major discussions and meetings.

Þ He wanted to have the major say-so in all decisions.

Þ He wanted the right to approve or disapprove who did what in the church.

On and on the list could go. This church leader wanted to be first, to have the recognition and preeminence in the church.

A.T. Robertson shares a personal experience that is most interesting and that should speak to all of our hearts about how insidious the desire to be first can be:

"He [Diotrephes] may have been an elder (bishop) or deacon, but clearly desired to rule the whole church. Some forty years ago I wrote an article on Diotrephes for a denominational paper. The editor told me that twenty-five deacons stopped the paper to show their resentment against being personally attacked in the paper" (Word Pictures In The New Testament, Vol.6, p.263).

Oliver Greene makes a very practical comment that needs to be heeded by all church leaders who desire to be preeminent in the church.

"Greek authorities tell us that the phrase here translated ‘who loveth to have the preeminence’ is only one word in the Greek, and it is not found anywhere else in the New Testament. The meaning is simply ‘one who loves to be first,’ one who will rule or ruin. But there are no rulers or lords in God’s Church. Pastors, deacons, church leaders are not to be ‘lords over God’s heritage’ (1 Peter 5:3)" (The Epistles of John, p.254).

2. Diotrephes, the divisive leader, rejected ministerial leadership. Note: John had written some previous letter to the church. Again remember that this is John the apostle, one of the men who had walked with Jesus Himself. But this did not matter to this divisive leader. He rejected John’s authority as a minister of God. In fact, he totally rejected the minister’s authority. He would not even allow John’s letter to be read before the church. This is the very reason John has addressed this letter to Gaius. Diotrephes had destroyed John’s former letter to the church; therefore, this time John sends the letter to Gaius, who is another leader in the church.

When a person wants his own way in the church, authority matters little. In fact, this is usually the way we can tell whether or not a person is wanting to be recognized: if he is rejecting the appointed authority in the church.

3. Diotrephes criticized, talked about, and censored the minister. And note: he used malicious words; he was bitter and divisive against the minister John. He went about overflowing with talk and rattling on about the matter, talking against and letting the members know that he opposed the minister.

4. Diotrephes opposed those who stood behind the minister. The issue within the church was whether or not to support travelling ministers such as evangelists, prophets, missionaries, and teachers. Some in the church led by Diotrephes felt that the only legitimate ministers were ministers of local churches. They felt that ministers such as travelling evangelists, prophets, missionaries, and outside teachers were not needed, that the church did not need their help to mature the believers nor to reach out to the lost.

But note: the minister John knew better. He knew that the Lord Jesus Christ had called and appointed specific officers for His church. He knew that believers needed the help of many ministers with very special gifts, ministers who could help the believers grow and carry out their own ministry. John knew that evangelists and missionaries could help the church reach out to reap the lost and stir believers to be more outreach minded. John knew that teachers and prophets could help believers of the local church grow, help them by giving them a different personality, voice, and perspective of God’s Word and Christian growth.

As stated, the divisive leader, Diotrephes, opposed John the minister. He was so strong in his opposition that he was publicly opposing those who stood behind the minister. He was even driving some of them out and away from the church.

5. Diotrephes had to be disciplined. He was destroying the church. He had opposed the minister John so much that some believers had already left the church. He was disturbing every facet of church life:

Þ affecting the testimony of the church before the world

Þ affecting the fellowship among believers

Þ affecting the spirit and enthusiasm of the believers, causing gloom and a disheartened spirit to set in

Þ affecting young and immature believers

Þ affecting the church’s outreach into the community

Þ affecting the ministries and programs of the church. Few felt like participating.

Þ affecting the reaching of the lost. Outsiders looked upon the church as being hypocritcal.

Þ affecting the offerings of the church

This and so much more is what always happens when a divisive leader stirs up trouble within a church. This is the reason why a divisive leader must always be disciplined. Note: John says that he will deal with Diotrephes when he visits the church (3 John 9). The idea is that he, as the minister of God, is going to lead the church to discipline him. Jesus Christ instructs us how to handle discipline in the church, and no doubt, this is what John meant.

6. Diotrephes was not to be followed. This is a strong warning issued by the minister John: do not follow that which is evil, but follow that which is good. A divisive leader is not to be followed. He may be a leader—he may be the first leader in the church, but he is not to be followed if he is divisive and bucking against the authority of the minister and other leaders of the church. No matter who he is, no matter what his position, his leadership is to be rejected if he begins to sow seeds of divisiveness. His evil is not to be followed. Note why. The reason is shocking: a divisive person does evil, and the person who does evil is not born of God. No matter what the divisive person claims, no matter how great a leader he is in the church, no matter how long he has been in the church—the divisive person is not born of God. How could he be? For God is good, and only the person who does good is born of God.

(v. 12) Minister—Demetrius: there is the godly leader who stands in the truth. Who is Demetrius? What is said here in this verse is all we know.

Þ He could be a leader in the church who stood toe to toe with Diotrephes. If so, then John is telling Gaius to lead the church in supporting him.

Þ Most likely he is the minister and messenger John is sending to the church to deliver this third letter of John, a minister who is to help straighten out the division in the church.

Whatever the case, Demetrius stands as a dynamic example of a godly leader, of just what a leader in the church should be. Note three strong facts about him.

1. Demetrius had a strong testimony among all believers. Few leaders have a dynamic testimony among all, but this church leader did. He was held in the highest esteem by God’s people. They respected him every so highly.

2. Demetrius had a strong testimony for walking in the truth.

3. Demetrius was highly esteemed by other leaders. Note: John says we also bear record to the testimony of Demetrius, and then he strongly affirms the fact: he declares that his own testimony is trustworthy. What he is saying about the character of Demetrius is true. Demetrius is a godly servant of the Lord no matter what any divisive leader says. This emphasis points rather strongly toward Demetrius being one of the travelling evangelists or teachers serving with John. There is a possibility that he was one of those who had been opposed by Diotrephes and not allowed to teach in the church.

Whatever the case, Demetrius is a dynamic example of what church leaders should be. Note that he is not a cowardly man. He is willing to personally deliver the letter of 3 John to Gaius and the church and to deal with the problems of the division.

This is to be the testimony of all church leaders. A life that is rooted and grounded in Christ is the very purpose for which God calls church leaders.

(v. 13-14) Conclusion: the problem in the church was severe, so severe that John planned to visit the church and to visit it soon. He would write no more. He had much to say to Gaius and the believers, but he needed to say it face to face, not in a letter. Note the minister’s closing remarks:

Þ He wishes peace upon them; this was the very thing Gaius and the church needed.

Þ He sends greetings from mutual friends: this was saying to Gaius and the believers that they were not being rejected by other churches and believers. They were not being frowned upon because they were unable to handle the division and to discipline the divisive leader.

• He asks Gaius to greet his friends by name for him.