3 John 1
AOSNAbout 3 John.
The Third Letter of John
Purpose
To commend Gaius for his hospitality to the apostle’s emissaries
To reprove Diotrephes
Author
Likely the apostle John
Date
Around AD 85–90
Setting
Written to an individual named Gaius, in response to his hospitality and to the lack thereof by a man named Diotrephes
This short personal letter addresses leadership and conflict issues in the early churches. A man named Diotrephes was trying to control the church and rejecting the apostle John and his representatives. In contrast, Gaius and Demetrius remained loyal to the church and the apostle John.
Setting
The apostle John wrote this letter around the same time as 1 John and 2 John (see 1 John Book Introduction, “Setting”). Some teachers and leaders claimed to have spiritual authority but taught different ideas about Christ. They did not make the same rules for church members. They assumed their own authority and ignored John's authority.
They also distorted the teachings of the apostles. Diotrephes was one who left the unity of fellowship of the church of the apostles (compare 1 John 2:18–19). As a leader in a local church, he rejected John's authority and refused to accept the teachers John sent. He even removed those in the church who welcomed and helped them.
John wrote this letter to Gaius, a loyal church member, urging him to keep welcoming John's messengers and remain true to John's teachings and community.
Summary
Among all the New Testament letters, 3 John is the most like personal letters from first-century Greece and Rome. Like other letters from this time, 3 John starts by identifying the writer, "The elder," and the recipient, "Gaius" (3 John 1:1–4). It then expresses a wish for the well-being of Gaius.
In this part of the letter, John praises Gaius and criticizes Diotrephes (3 John 1:5–12). Gaius did well by welcoming the traveling teachers from John. These teachers told John that Gaius was living according to the truth. This made John very happy, and he encourages Gaius to keep practicing this hosting of other Christians.
Unlike Gaius, a church leader named Diotrephes received John’s strong warning (3 John 1:9–10). Diotrephes loved having power and honor, so he refused to accept John’s authority. He also persuaded others to resist John. Diotrephes even forced out of the church those who did not follow him. John warned Gaius not to submit to Diotrephes’ harsh leadership or copy his bad example.
John emphasizes the good reputation of a man named Demetrius (3 John 1:12). We do not know John's exact purpose today, but he might have been suggesting Demetrius as a leader for Gaius's community instead of Diotrephes.
John ends the letter by mentioning plans to visit soon and sends greetings (3 John 1:13–15).
Author and Date
The author of this letter calls himself, “The elder” (see 3 John 1:1). This may refer to his age or his authority over his readers, or both. Church tradition identifies this elder as John the apostle. He was an old man and a leader of the churches in Asia Minor during the late first century (see 1 John Book Introduction, “Author”). Third John was probably written around the same time as 1 John and 2 John, around AD 85–90.
Meaning and Message
John’s third letter addresses a problem mentioned in 1 John. Some church leaders followed false teachings and ignored the authority of the apostles.
We cannot say we love God and the truth if we do not follow the teachings of the apostles and unite ourselves to God's church, the members of his spiritual family.
3 John 1:1-4
The apostle John begins his letter with a common greeting. It includes:
identifying himself and the person he is writing to,
using a friendly greeting, such as beloved,
offering wishes for the person's well-being, and
expressing thanks for their friendship.
3 John 1:1
The elder: See study note on 2 John 1:1.
The New Testament mentions several people named Gaius (see Acts 19:29; 20:4; Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14). It was a popular name in the Greco-Roman world.
3 John 1:3
The traveling teachers (literally brothers) were probably John's messengers. They traveled between churches, teaching the good news about Jesus and encouraging Christians (see 1:5, 10).
your devotion to the truth: Gaius remained faithful to the message about Jesus Christ that the apostles taught. The false teachers denied that Jesus truly came in the flesh or that his death was a real sacrifice (compare 1 John 4:1–3).
3 John 1:4
Like in 2 John (see 2 John 1:1–4), John emphasizes the importance of knowing and following the truth. This stands in contrast to Diotrephes and those who follow him (3 John 1:9).
3 John 1:5-8
John encourages Gaius to keep supporting the traveling teachers that John sent out (1:3).
3 John 1:5
Gaius welcomed the traveling teachers (literally the brothers) who went from church to church to support the apostles’ teaching about Christ (1:7–8). By doing this, Gaius demonstrated that he had received the truth from the apostles and was faithful to God.
3 John 1:6
The church mentioned here was probably in Ephesus, where John was likely staying. Ephesus was an important port city in the province of Asia and was the fourth-largest city in the Roman Empire. It later became an important center for the Christian community (Acts 18:19–19:41; 1 Timothy 1:3; 1 Peter 1:1; Revelation 2:1–7).
3 John 1:7-8
On behalf of the Name: John did not need to specify whose name this was because early Christians understood that the Name referred to Jesus Christ (see Acts 5:41).
The traveling teachers had chosen to accept nothing offered to them from people who are not Christians. Instead, they relied on the churches for support. Christians who give support to trustworthy traveling teachers share in their work as those teachers spread the truth (see Matthew 10:41–42; Philippians 4:15–19).
3 John 1:9-12
In these verses, John condemns Diotrephes and presents Demetrius as the model of a faithful Christian who lives according to the truth. John encourages Gaius to follow the example of Demetrius.
3 John 1:9
I have written to the church about this: This could refer to 1 John or to a letter that is now lost.
Diotrephes was proud and thought himself important. He was motivated by selfish ambition (see 1 Timothy 3:6).
will not accept our instruction: This disagreement was a major issue that John addressed in 1 John (see, for example, 1 John 2:19; 4:5–6). Diotrephes rejected the teachers sent by John and removed any church members who accepted them. He wanted to lead the local church without answering to any outside authority.
3 John 1:11
the one who does evil: John condemns Diotrephes for not living by the Christian rule of love (1 John 3:10–14). This was how Gaius could be sure that Diotrephes was not living according to the truth. This applies to all who refuse to accept the apostolic teaching about Jesus Christ and refuse to live in fellowship with others who do.
3 John 1:12
Demetrius was the opposite of Diotrephes. Demetrius was a clear example of a person who knows the truth and lives according to it (1:3). His name appears at the end of the letter. This suggests that he was the person who carried John’s letter to Gaius (compare Colossians 4:7–9; 1 Peter 5:12).
you know that our testimony is true: John wanted to protect his honor as a trustworthy elder for these churches. He did not want Diotrephes or other false teachers to challenge or replace his leadership.
3 John 1:13-15
As in 2 John, the end of 3 John shows John’s desire to visit in person and make sure the instructions in this letter are followed.
3 John 1:13
with pen and ink (literally ink and reed): n ancient times, people often wrote with a pen made from a reed and with black carbon ink (see also 2 John 1:12).
3 John 1:14
The English expression face to face is similar in meaning to the Greek expression used here, which means “mouth to mouth” (literally) (see also 2 John 1:12). In Greek, the phrase “mouth to mouth” is an idiom that means close, direct, and personal communication. It pictures two people speaking to each other without anything in between.
3 John 1:15
John closes his letter with his farewell and with greetings to others.
Peace to you: This was a traditional Jewish greeting (Matthew 10:12; Luke 10:5–6). It became more meaningful for Christians because Jesus used it after his resurrection (John 20:19–21, 26).
Greet each of our friends there by name: John expected Gaius to greet the friends. This meant those who accept the good news about Jesus taught by the apostles and live according to the truth (compare 3 John 1:3–4).
Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.