First Corea first principles look at the Bible
Book 64 of 66 · Letter · Short letter

3 John

A short note about hospitality and a local boss. The elder praises Gaius for welcoming traveling teachers, and calls out Diotrephes, who “loveth to have the preeminence” and throws people out of the church (verse 9).

The big idea

In short: love the actual person, starting with the stranger at the door. Gaius is praised because he helps “the brethren, and… strangers” (verse 5).

The warning is a leader who “loveth to have the preeminence” (verse 9), who wants to be first.

The rule underneath: Law 2 · Love the actual person

Love the person in front of you: neighbor, stranger, enemy.

Keep it: Trust grows and people are cared for.
Break it: Faith turns into talk, and real people get hurt.

Shows up in: Genesis, Leviticus, Matthew, Romans, Hebrews

Other rules in this book: Power serves

Live it: Playbook 02 · How to love

5Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; 6Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: 7Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. 8We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.3 John 1:5-8 · KJV

At a glance

What it is
A one-chapter personal letter from “the elder” to a man named Gaius. 14 verses in the KJV.
Who wrote it
“The elder,” a senior church leader, likely the same writer as 2 John. debated
When
About AD 90–110.
Read it in
About 2 minutes.

What it says

Verses 1–8 · Gaius. The elder hopes Gaius is well in body as in soul (verse 2). “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (verse 4). Gaius welcomes traveling teachers, even strangers. Helping them makes us “fellowhelpers to the truth” (verse 8).

Verses 9–14 · Diotrephes and Demetrius. Diotrephes rejects the elder, spreads “malicious words,” refuses guests, and throws out those who welcome them (verses 9–10). “Follow not that which is evil, but that which is good” (verse 11). Demetrius has a good name with everyone (verse 12).

Go deeper
  • Original words. Philoprōteuōn, “loveth to have the preeminence” (verse 9), means “loves to be first.” It is found nowhere else in the Bible.
  • The pair. 2 John says not to host false teachers. 3 John says do host true ones. Together they show hospitality as a real choice with real stakes.
  • How the laws interlock. Law 2 is Gaius’s open door. Law 11 is Diotrephes: power used to control, not serve.

Hard parts

“That thou mayest prosper” (verse 2)

What it says “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (verse 2).

The rule underneath Enough, and give. This is a greeting, like “I hope you’re well.”

What people added Prosperity teachers read the verse as God’s promise of wealth and health for believers. Most readers see a normal letter greeting of the time, not a promise. Readers differ.

How it has been used: The American preacher Oral Roberts said that in 1947 he opened his Bible to 3 John 2, and it shaped his message that God wants people to prosper. The verse became a key text for the prosperity gospel.

Where it leads

One thing to do

This week

Open your door

Invite someone new to your table this week: a new neighbor, a coworker far from home, a visitor at church (verse 5). Write in your journal who came and what you learned about them.