3 John 1 Study Notes
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8 A privilege of Christian identity is to be coworkers with the truth—in sync with what God is doing as well as with fellow servants who are giving their all to do God’s bidding.
9 Wrote something probably refers to a letter that has not been preserved, although some think it could refer to 1 John. There have always been struggles for power and status in the church (Mk 10:37). Diotrephes should have deferred to the authority of the apostle John.
10 The phrase refuses to welcome fellow believers contrasts with those who did great things “for the brothers and sisters” in v. 5. Diotrephes must have been a person with some power in his congregation.
11 On dear friend, see note at v. 1. John did not want Gaius to be like Diotrephes (do not imitate what is evil). A person like Diotrephes might profess Christian faith, but the profession can be bogus (Mt 7:21-23).
12 Possibly Demetrius was supposed to deliver this epistle, so John assured Gaius of his character.
13 With the words don’t want to write, John indicated that this epistle was a stopgap measure until he could pay a personal visit to his readers.
15 Peace harks back to the Hebrew word shalom, indicating God’s living presence and blessing. Greetings and greet . . . by name are reminders that one of the great joys of the household of God is the fellowship of shared commitment to Jesus Christ.