Walk in Truth and Love

Near the end of the first century, John, who once walked with Jesus, wrote three letters to the young church. In his first letter, he stressed how the family of God is held together by love and how we, as little children, are to love one another.

In the second letter, however, John warns of apostates and deceivers in the world who deny Jesus as God and deny His work on the cross has the power to save us. We aren’t to love them, be concerned about them, or host them in our homes. When truth and love conflict, truth must take priority.

In the second letter, John says the truth is worth standing for. But now, John adds that the truth is worth working for. Someone said, “My life in God—that’s salvation. My life with God—that’s communion and fellowship. But my life for God—that’s service.”

This third letter from John also answers the question, how were believers holding out at the close of the first century? Did they all become martyrs? Among the millions who turned to Christ in the first three centuries, how did the average believer turn out?

In this little letter, we meet Gaius, a man standing for God. Gaius was a delightful brother, an elder in the church, and a well-loved friend. Not only does John love him as a friend, but he also loves him “in truth.” Gaius is sound in his doctrine. He accepted the deity of Christ and demonstrated God’s love to others. You have to think right if you are going to act right—that is true in any sphere of life today.

In his greeting, John wishes Gaius to prosper not only financially but also in his health. Gaius may not have been a well man. He also wants him to prosper in his soul, to grow spiritually. Even today, you can know the Lord but be sick spiritually. What physical health is to the body, holiness is to the believer's spiritual life.

In John’s day, many ministers traveled around, teaching the Word of God and doing missionary work. Gaius opened his home to them (despite his poor health, he actively showed hospitality). With real spiritual discernment, Gaius ensured a minister’s relationship to Jesus Christ was real.

You must think rightly of Jesus Christ to be right in everything else. These brethren testified, “He walks in the truth,” they said. “He teaches the same thing the apostles teach, and he acts accordingly.”

“Pastor” John was thrilled and encouraged by this report that his spiritual children were walking with the Lord. Now that he is an old man, it's a great joy to hear that his converts, including Gaius and others scattered across Asia, are still walking in truth and loving the brethren.

Certainly, the church still needs to guard against false teachers (like John wrote about in his second letter), but we should also receive true brethren. You may have been disappointed or deceived by false brethren in the past, but don’t let that stop you from supporting those you believe are from the Lord.

The early church depended on God’s Spirit to tell when a person was teaching the truth. We may know more Bible today than they did in the early church, but they survived by their spiritual discernment. When Gaius helped them along, he became a partner with them in getting out the Word of God, and John was writing to thank and praise him for his testimony.

But were all men in the early church outstanding men of God like Gaius? We could only wish. John writes of another man, Diotrephes, who needed someone to call him out.

Diotrephes loved the spotlight, and he loved his own way. His motto was “to rule or ruin.” John wrote this church to ask them to care for a traveling missionary, Demetrius, an outstanding gospel preacher, but Diotrephes wouldn’t comply. Diotrephes couldn’t look out for others because he was too busy overweening his own ambition. He was pretentious and puffed up, inflated like a balloon.

Do you recognize this guy? Perhaps he’s vying to run your church. He may put up a pious front, but he will wreck church after church if given ground.

All of us need to search our hearts—even the ministers. Ask yourself, why are you leading? Why do you sing? Do you love to have the spotlight? Are you doing this for the glory of God? Certainly, we need people to lead and teach the Word. Many are needed, but search your heart before you do anything because you can wreck a church if you are one like Diotrephes, who loves to have first place.

John urged them to be “fellow workers for the truth.” Like today, John tells us to support those who are giving out the Word of God. If you have a preacher who is doing that, you should support him, as was the practice in the early church.

You can call John an apostle of love if you want to, but the Lord Jesus called him a son of thunder. When John arrived at this church, they probably had a regular summer storm as he dealt with Diotrephes. John preferred to deal with things in person, “face to face,” rather than put them down “with pen and ink.”

John closes his final letter encouraging us all to continue to do what is good, emphasizing that the one who practices righteousness is a child of God, but the one who permits or tolerates evil has no personal experience with the Lord and likely doesn’t even know Him.

Then, as he signs off, John wishes them God’s peace and sends greetings from their mutual friends.