11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. – 3 John 1:11-15 ESV
John has managed to pack a lot of information into the closing verses of his third and final letter. After portraying the actions of Diotrephes in stark contrast to those of Gaius, John turns his attention back to his dear friend. He reminds Gaius to model his life after those who do good, not evil. John clearly establishes Diotrephes as someone whose actions are evil, but he does not declare Diotrephes to be an unbeliever. The Greek word John used is kakos, which can refer to someone behaving in an unacceptable manner or not as it should be. Their actions are wrong and, therefore, harmful.
Diotrephes’ habit of putting himself first was unacceptable because it was antithetical to what Jesus taught. He regularly instructed His disciples to pursue a life of humility and service and provided His own life as a model.
“Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” – John 13:34 NLT
“Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:12-13 NLT
Jesus did that which is good (agathos), making His life an example of all that was admirable, pleasant, upright, and honorable. Jesus was the consummate servant, giving His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). The apostle Paul provides a sobering reminder to followers of Christ to share His mindset and way of life.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. – Philippians 2:3-5 NLT
That is what John means when he tells Gaius to imitate that which is good. Jesus, though God, displayed no delusions of grandeur and refused to flaunt His divine glory in the face of sinful men. Instead, He willingly took the status of a slave, laying aside His divine privileges to serve the needs of humanity. Paul explains the mindset that motivated Jesus’ behavior.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:6-8 NLT
John desired his dear friend to emulate Jesus rather than Diotrephes who was following the leadership model promoted by the culture in which he lived. The apostle Paul knew that transformed behavior began with a transformed mind. He reminded the believers in Rome that compromise with the culture was not an option for them. Following the ways of the world would be detrimental to their spiritual lives and in conflict with the will of God.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:2 NLT
Only God can produce in His children behavior that is good, pleasing, and perfect in His sight. He does so through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. Diotrephes’ behavior was the normal and natural outflow of a heart influenced by his sinful nature rather than the Spirit of God. The apostle Paul provides an extensive, yet not exhaustive list of the “evil” actions that flow from a flesh-influenced heart.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. – Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
Notice his mention of jealousy, selfish ambition, dissension, and division. These were the very traits that characterized Diotrephes’ life. But Paul also provides a list of the characteristics that mark the life of one living in the power and under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
John told Gaius, “Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God” (3 John 1:11 NLT). It appears that John had the following teaching of Jesus in mind.
“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” – Luke 6:43-44 NLT
A tree is known for its fruit and the same is true of the human heart. Only a good heart can produce good fruit. Again, John does not seem to be insinuating that Diotrephes was unsaved but that his behavior was evidence of a flawed relationship with God. Diotrephes claimed to know God but failed to live in obedience to His commands. John addressed this problem in his very first letter.
If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:4-6 NLT
As far as John was concerned, the only way to truly know God was through a relationship with Jesus Christ. John opens his gospel account with the bold and exclusionary claim: “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18 NLT). But this was not something John fabricated on his own; he had heard it from the lips of Jesus.
“Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.).” – John 6:45-46 NLT
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” – John 14:6-7 NLT
Jesus made it clear: No one could truly know God the Father without coming to know Jesus the Son as their Savior. Jesus was the conduit of divine grace that provided a way for sinful men and women to be restored to a right relationship with their Heavenly Father. The “good” actions of Gaius were evidence of his newly restored relationship with God. His changed behavior was proof that he had seen God, and it was because he had believed in the one whom God had sent.
John wraps up his letter to Gaius by encouraging him to extend hospitality to Demetrius. We have no idea who this individual was, but it is clear that John held him in high regard, noting that he had “received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself” (3 John 1:12 ESV). In other words, Demetrius, like Gaius, walked the talk. He lived his life according to the truth of the Gospel, allowing his behavior to flow from his beliefs.
John closed his letter by declaring his desire to see Gaius face-to-face. While writing a letter of encouragement was helpful, he preferred an up-close and personal visit with his brothers and sisters in Christ. A growing number of faith communities were springing up all over Asia Minor and the rest of the world making personal visits by the apostles nearly impossible. Travel in those days was expensive, arduous, and often dangerous. Driven by their desire to shepherd the flock of God, these men longed to visit each congregation but it was physically impossible. So, they wrote, encouraged, admonished, and prayed. When they couldn’t go, they sent heartfelt letters “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12 NLT).
While this letter was addressed to Gaius, it reflects John’s attitude toward all believers who struggled to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Lord while living in a godless environment. His words echo those of Paul written to the believers in Philippi.
Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. – Philippians 2:15 NLT
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson