Category: 1, 2, 3 John

This is a tale of three men. 3 John is the shortest book in the Bible and a powerful letter that is still very relevant today. 3 John is written to a Johannine church community that is experiencing a clash of characters. There is a man named Gaius, to whom this letter is written; another man named Diotrephes, and a third individual named Demetrius. These three men are like three kinds of Christians found in the church throughout any age. From these three characters, we can glean that Christ-followers exemplify hospitality and love both the family of God and the outside community. 

John (or, “the elder”) begins by greeting Gaius and issuing joyful praise toward Gaius for his love of “the truth.” You might wonder, what does it mean to “walk in the truth”? Some have argued that John is happy because Gaius is “walking in sound doctrine.” However, this phrase is best understood as “to walk consistent with the truth you believe.” That is, in Jesus, we found the hospitality of God on full display! All are welcome to the table (Luke 14:13). Therefore, John is joyful that Gaius and his friends have welcomed the traveling witnesses/missionaries, demonstrating the hospitality that is to be a proper outward behavior of the follower of Christ (3 John 5-8). 

In stark contrast, John issues a public rebuke of Diotrephes for his lack of hospitality and humility. John calls attention to the rumors about Diotrephes, his unwillingness to welcome the fellow believers, and even his kicking those that receive them out of his congregation/community (3 John 9-10). To this, John argues in verse 11: “Do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good.”

Finally, John makes mention of Demetrius. John commends Demetrius, the letter-carrier, as one of good rapport, before concluding this intimate letter with a desire for face-to-face interaction soon. John wraps it up by essentially saying, “I’ve said a lot here (through the Bible and tradition), but I have so much more to say… I’d rather not write with pen and ink. But I will see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.” 

So what are we to make of such a brief letter like this? An honest question to ask ourselves is if we’re more of a Gaius than a Diotrephes. Gaius lives out the gospel. He’s hospitable. He’s gracious. His actions are the result of a life devoted to Christ. The same seems to be true of Demetrius, as well. Diotrephes, on the other hand, is self-absorbed. He puts himself in front of others. His life is antithetical to what the gospel calls us to. As we process this reading, we get to decide which of those traits we want to embody.

In 2 John, John writes a short letter to a church and its members. He uses the language of a ‘‘lady and her children” since the church and its members are the “bride” of Christ (see also Revelation 22:17, Ephesians 5:22-33). 

Two themes stick out in this brief letter: truth and love. You cannot separate the two since truth informs the way we act towards others— in love. In the first six verses, John uses the word “truth” five times and the word “love” four times. We demonstrate love towards others when we declare truth, and we withhold love when we hide the truth from them.

John warns this church that they need to be careful of those who seek to deceive them with something outside the truth. They might preach what appears to be a more loving message, but it lacks truth. We need to arm ourselves (see Ephesians 6:10-20) with truth because many deceivers have gone out into the world. These people twist the truth and preach a false gospel. 

We certainly face deceivers every day as many declare there’s no such thing as absolute truth. Others twist the truth to serve their own agendas (i.e., the prosperity gospel). Thankfully, we have God’s Word to inform us of what is truth, and then we get to declare this very truth in love to others. When we walk in the truth, we have both the Father and the Son. What an incredible gift we get to carry with us wherever we go. The reality is this: we walk in truth and love because followers of Christ have the Father and the Son, always. 

In verse 12, John encourages us to share truth and love with others in person. In a world that focuses on text messages and quick communication, John longs to visit and talk with others face-to-face. While technology can be a communication gift, there’s nothing like having our joy completed in the physical presence of others.

In this final chapter of 1 John, John pleads with his readers one last time to choose a relationship with Jesus, and he highlights some of the major benefits to faith. He says that everyone born of God: overcomes the world (v. 4), has eternal life (v. 11), can approach God with confidence (v. 14), is heard by God (v. 15), is protected from the evil one (v. 18), and is called a child of God (v. 19). These aren’t small bonuses; they are massive promises. When the Creator of the entire universe adopts you into His family and becomes your Father, you receive some pretty large perks.

One of the biggest blessings that stands out the most from this chapter is the assurance and confidence of eternal life that we have as God’s children. John writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). John is clear that those who belong to the family of God can be certain about their eternity. He wants his readers to have confidence in the fact that they will be with God forever.

We can have that same assurance today. It’s not just early Christians who needed reassurances of salvation, but us, too. This world is misleading and confusing, and we’re tempted to believe that this is all there is. That this life is all that matters. The enemy wants us to keep our eyes focused on the here and now and never glance up at God. And that’s why John implores his readers to be confident about their eternity. Because, when we are confident that this world is not our home and know that we will be with God forever, our perspective changes. We change. 

We begin to live for something more. We begin to live as though Heaven is on earth, today. We begin to do our part to bring Heaven to whatever part of earth we’re currently living on. You see, eternal life doesn’t just begin at the end of our earthly lives, it begins now. 

We could simplify this chapter into this one thesis statement: what we believe impacts how we live.  We know this truth, but so often we try to disconnect what we know from how we live. But the truth is we  act out what we believe. John warns of false teachers and how they can persuade and appear true, so we must be be wise and discerning and test what is true. If the foundation isn’t that Jesus is the Christ, it isn’t the gospel – it isn’t true. We must be able to discern truth from error and live in a way that supports, not denies, our beliefs. 

The truth John’s expressing is that not only is love from God, God is love. It’s who He is. It’s His essence, His nature; and, since we are made in His image, it’s our nature, too. Our love for God is not measured by what we know or what we say, it’s measured by what we do. God has always made the connection and interlaced loving Him and loving His children. We cannot disconnect them. 

Verses 9 and 10 clearly define what love is: it’s visible (God showed); it requires action (God sent); it’s sacrificial (gave His one and only); it’s unconditional and undeserving (while we were sinners); it addresses sin (an atoning sacrifice for sin). We only need to look at these two verses to know what God thinks of us. We are loved. Fully. Wholly. He doesn’t love some future version of you, He loves you now. 

How does this knowledge impact our actions? His love gives us confidence (no fear, vs. 18) to love others the way we are loved, not just with words, but in deed and action. Regardless if someone deserves it or not. Our worth and value doesn’t come from someone else’s response to our love. Our value and worth is secure, paid for by Jesus. The world will know we are His children by our love. Not by our “right-ness,” our political support or statements, our knowledge of the Bible, or our self-righteousness. We have an answer for an unbelieving, hurting world: love. The way God showed us through Jesus. 

Chapter 3 begins by reminding us who our identity in Christ is: We are beloved and called God’s children. Jesus died on the cross for us so we no longer have to live in sin and shame; we are free to live out our purpose without the burdens of our mistakes. This basic truth is essential to us understanding the true meaning and intention for the rest of this chapter.

In a world where we are surrounded by cultural Christianity, we can easily lose sight of the power of our faith. Luke 11:28 (ESV) says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” There is power in the simple act of believing God’s Word. When we surrender our lives to Him, He transforms us and gives us strength that is unimaginable. But our actions need to follow our belief. 

We are warned not to be deceived by the world and remember that it’s our actions, not our intentions, that display our faith. If we are truly inviting God to work in us and through us, we will begin to look more like Him and less like the world. The message is clear, but it is not meant to make us feel guilty. Rather, its intention is conviction. Sometimes it’s necessary for us to be called out on our prejudices against brothers and sisters in the faith to help remind us of God’s purpose for us.

Verse 11 reminds us we are to love others with our actions. Verse 15 tells us hating others is the same as killing them. It seems like Scripture goes from zero to one hundred really fast. But when we are focused on ourselves, it is impossible to focus on others. This selfishness leads to suffering, not only for others, but also ourselves. It takes humility to be reminded that we are all sinners, no sin is greater or less than another, and it’s here that we turn to God. Rather than harming or hating others out of our own selfishness, we are called to lay down our lives for others. Jesus already set this example of sacrificial love before us, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live this out. 

It’s up to us whether or not we will answer the call to love. Because of Christ’s sacrificial love, we can be confident in our eternity and empowered to live out our faith through our actions. Let’s be faithful to obey, and love others well.

Sometimes the gospel can be difficult to explain. In this chapter there are times in which it feels like John is saying two different things. There are portions in which he focuses on the seriousness of sin, but then later he outlines the seriousness of God’s grace. If you go back to read the chapter again, you’ll notice that there is an ebb and flow to his message. It’s almost like he is writing this chapter with conviction in one hand, and profound mercy in the other. Indeed, this is the message of the gospel! God desperately desires for us not to sin because He knows the consequences that it will bring on our lives. But God is also desperate to show us mercy because His Son paid the ultimate price for our iniquities. So John writes this chapter urging us not to sin, while also expressing confidence that our sins are paid for. 

Even though much of John’s writing in this chapter is about our actions, it’s clear that our actions aren’t the main focus. It would be easy to leave this chapter wanting to do a better job of managing what we do. But that would be a dangerous mistake! While our sin is serious, it isn’t the star of John’s story. The message here isn’t about our actions, but rather God’s. Although we have fallen short, He has overcome. Although we have chosen darkness, He can bring us into the light. Although we are unrighteous, He is advocating for our forgiveness. 

If we want to leave our life of sin, we don’t need to turn the spotlight on our actions, but rather His. This is why John ends the chapter by saying, “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” (v.28) The goal isn’t to power through on our own strength. We’ll never make it to the finish line that way. The only way we can find eternal freedom is by finding ourselves in Him. So while our sin is serious, our Savior is greater.

The opening chapter of 1 John lays the foundation for the entire book. John’s focus here isn’t on converting people to the faith. Instead, this letter is written to inspire confidence and reassure a group of believers who need to be reminded of what is true. The churches around Asia Minor were in turmoil after losing a number of people who had ultimately rejected the deity of Christ. As he mentions in the very beginning of this letter, John is able to provide a firsthand account of the life and ministry of Jesus. He saw it, he experienced it, and he wants to share those experiences with his readers.

The central theme of this passage is walking in the light (v. 7). John presents a binary choice here: We can either walk in the light or walk in the darkness. If we claim to be followers of Christ, but our lives, words, and actions don’t reflect that, then we are living in the darkness. If we consume the pleasures and comforts of the world and our lives aren’t bearing fruit (see John 15), then we may not be in fellowship with God. It’s a sobering thought, but that’s exactly why John said it. 

So what does it mean to walk in the light? Fortunately for us, John gives us the answer. Step one is to acknowledge that we are sinful and have fallen short of the standard God set. He says that those who claim to be sinless are only deceiving themselves (v. 9). Step two is to confess those sins because “He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (v. 9). This is why confession of sin is so important. 

If we act like we have it all together all of the time, we’re only fooling ourselves (but we’re definitely not fooling God). Confession within the context of a biblical community also provides us with the accountability we need to continue to pursue righteousness at all costs. Because of the gospel, we are able to live lives free of sin and condemnation and have right standing with God. That’s what it means to live in the light.