Introduction: Personal Greetings

1 [1]The elder,
To my dear friend [2]Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2 [3]Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, just as your soul is prospering.
3 [4]For I was overjoyed when some brothers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth — how you continue to walk in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that [5]my children are walking in the truth.

Hospitality to Ministering Brethren

5 Dear friend, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the [6]brothers — especially though they are strangers to you.
6 [7]They have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.
7 For they set out for the sake of the Name, [8]accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
8 [9]Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may be co-workers for the truth.

The Arrogant Diotrephes and Wicked Deeds

9 [10]I wrote something to the church, but [11]Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not acknowledge our authority.
10 For this reason, when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing — spreading malicious talk about us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers himself; [12]he even stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

11 [13]Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is from God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

The Good Demetrius

12 Everyone speaks well of [14]Demetrius — and the truth itself testifies to him. We also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.

Conclusion

13 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.
14 Instead, I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face.

15 [15]Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.

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[1] (v1). John calls himself “the elder,” probably referring both to his age and his respected role in the Christian community.

[2] (v1). Gaius. A close companion of John, to whom this third letter of John is directed. John praised Gaius for his loyalty and kindness, and he prayed for his well-being and health. He encouraged Gaius to adhere to God’s righteous path and conveyed his desire to visit him in the near future.

[3] (v2). Maybe Gaius had been in poor physical health recently. This is a warm personal wish: John hopes that Gaius’ physical and material well-being will match his evident spiritual vitality. The verse doesn’t promise health and wealth, but it does show that God’s concern extends to every area of life.

[4] (v3). Others gave a good report that Gaius walked in the truth of God.

[5] (v4). my children. These were spiritual children of John, likely people he had led to Christ. John became a spiritual father and example to them. They were believers who benefited from the ministry of the apostle.

[6] (v5). brothers — especially though they are strangers to you. Gaius was faithful in his service to both believers and to strangers. This is a good example to follow. Traveling missionaries in the early church depended on local believers for lodging and support. Gaius’ open-handed hospitality reflected his faith. John calls such service faithful, showing that practical love for God’s servants is an act of loyalty to the truth.

[7] (v6). Those who received ministry from Gaius told John of the love Gaius had for the people of God (the assembly).

[8] (v7). accepting nothing from the Gentiles. During the missionary trips Gaius received no help from non-believers. Only believers supported the missionary trips. “They went out for the sake of the Name” means they served Christ selflessly, refusing pagan patronage (“accepting nothing from the Gentiles”). Supporting them made Gaius and others “coworkers with the truth”—partners in the gospel mission.

[9] (v8). Those who supported the work of Gaius became fellow-workers for the truth of the gospel.

[10] (v9). John had earlier sent a letter to the assembly where Gaius fellowshipped, but Diotrephes did not comply with it and may have even hidden it.

[11] (v9). Diotrephes. A self-serving and ambitious individual who likely spread harmful rumours about John and his companions. He declined to receive traveling Christians and hindered others from doing so. John vowed to address the situation during his visit. This is one of the earliest records of a church leadership dispute. Diotrephes seems to have been a domineering local leader who rejected apostolic guidance and  excommunicated anyone showing hospitality to John’s associates. John exposes his pride (“loves to be first”), slander, and unloving behaviour. Even in the first century, the church faced internal power struggles and misuse of authority. John’s intention to “call attention to what he is doing” shows accountability: truth and love require confronting destructive behaviour when necessary.

[12] (v10). he even stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.This means to put them out of the assembly by separation. This may include some sort of excommunication, whereby a person is cut off from the fellowship of the local assembly.

[13] (v11). John calls Gaius to moral discernment. Not all church leaders should be imitated, character reveals one’s spiritual origin. Doing good flows from truly knowing God; doing evil reveals spiritual blindness, whatever one’s title or position maybe.

[14] (v12). Demetrius. A man known to Gaius who had a good report of men and of the truth. Demetrius may have carried this letter or been one of the traveling missionaries. John presents him as the opposite of Diotrephes: a man whose good reputation is confirmed by both believers and “the truth itself.”
John adds, “you know that our testimony is true” underscoring the reliability of his commendation.

[15] (v15). John prefers personal fellowship over written communication, a reminder that real Christian relationships are best nurtured in person, not merely through letters (or, in our age, digital messages). “Peace to you” is a Jewish-style blessing invoking spiritual well-being. The closing greeting emphasizes friendship: faith in truth produces genuine community.

Themes and Application of 3 John

1. Truth and Love Together:True Christian faith never separates doctrinal truth from personal love. Gaius embodies both; Diotrephes lacks both.
2. Hospitality as Ministry: Welcoming and supporting God’s workers is a tangible expression of faith. Even those who don’t preach can share in gospel work through generosity.
3. Leadership and Humility: Diotrephes is a cautionary tale: ambition and pride can corrupt spiritual leadership. True authority serves, not dominates.
4. Discernment and Example: Believers are called to imitate good examples (like Demetrius) and reject evil ones, even within the church.
5. Relational Christianity: The personal tone of the letter reminds us that Christianity is not just belief in doctrines but a network of real relationships marked by truth, love, and peace.