3 John 1
Greeting to Gaius
1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Gaius Commended for Generosity
5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are,
faithful: πιστὸν piston
4103. pistos: faithful, reliable
Original Word: πιστός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: pistos
Phonetic Spelling: (pis-tos')
Definition: faithful, reliable
Usage: trustworthy, faithful, believing.
In what way is Gaius being faithful? Does John mean Gaius is being faithful to God? It seems so. Helping people who are doing God's work, even if they are strangers is being obedient and faithful to God's will.
John is prasing Gaius for helping brothers who were strangers to him. How many Christians today are willing to help other Christians who are strangers?
6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.
7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
Diotrephes's Opposition
9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.
Some say that we Christians must never "name and shame". Certainly, we should examine that our own motives are to honour God, and that we aren't criticising others to make ourselves look good, and that we are not judging hypocritically. But if we are genuinely protecting the Gospel in obedience to God's command, then John shows here that it is acceptable to do so.
10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
Demetrius commended
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.
Final Greetings
13 I have 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, every one of them.
In some translations this verse is appended to v.14 and so they don't actually have a v.15.