3 John 1

Because 3 John consists of a single chapter, this chapter is the entire book. Whereas the preceding letter, 2 John, warns against receiving false teachers into one's house, this letter urges readers to gladly welcome workers who travel about proclaiming the truth.

Outline

• Verse 1 "The elder" writes to his beloved Gaius.
• Verses 2–4 The elder wishes that Gaius may prosper in all things and be in health, even as his soul prospers. He rejoices upon hearing from the brethren that Gaius walks in the truth.
• Verses 5–8 The elder commends Gaius for showing hospitality to brethren who were strangers and urges him to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. Because they went forth for the sake of the Lord's name, taking nothing from the Gentiles, those who receive them become fellow workers for the truth.
• Verses 9–10 Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence, does not receive the elder and his companions. He slanders them with malicious words, refuses to receive the brethren, forbids those who would receive them, and casts them out of the church.
• Verses 11–12 The elder urges Gaius to imitate not what is evil but what is good, and he recommends Demetrius, who has a good report of all men and of the truth itself.
• Verses 13–15 The elder says he would rather speak face to face, wishes Gaius peace, and sends greetings.

Key Verses

• 3 John 1:2 "that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" — the most widely quoted verse of blessing in Korean churches.
• 3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" — reveals the true source of a spiritual leader's joy.
• 3 John 1:11 "He that doeth good is of God" — succinctly expresses the relationship between conduct and faith.

People and Places

• The elder: The author of the letter. Tradition identifies him as the apostle John, though some scholars regard him as a separate figure, "John the Elder."
• Gaius: The recipient of the letter, a believer who showed hospitality to strangers. Several men by this name appear in the New Testament, but whether any of them is the same person cannot be determined.
• Diotrephes: A man who asserted his authority in the church and rejected the elder and the traveling evangelists.
• Demetrius: A man recommended by the elder; some hold that he was the bearer of this letter.

Points for Reflection

Many interpreters regard verse 2 as following the conventional health wish commonly used in Greek letters of the period. Some interpretations emphasize the verse as a promise of spiritual, material, and physical blessing, while critics argue that such readings expand a greeting into doctrine and drift toward prosperity theology. The hospitality shown to traveling evangelists in verses 5–8 is read as evidence of the missionary practices of the early church.

In the Korean Church

Verse 2 is frequently used during pastoral visits, in prayers of blessing, and in New Year's greeting cards. Pastor David Yonggi Cho is widely known for teaching, on the basis of this verse, a "threefold salvation" (often called the threefold blessing): the prospering of the soul, prosperity in all things, and good health.