3 John 1:10

Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. IF I COME - (3 John 1:14.) I WILL REMEMBER, [ hupomneesoo (G5279)] - 'I will bring to mind' before all, by stigmatizing and punishing. PRATING - with silly tattle. NEITHER DOTH HE HIMSELF RECEIVE THE BRETHREN - with hospitality: the missionaries. FORBIDDETH THEM THAT WOULD - receive them. CASTETH THEM - those that would receive the brethren, by excommunication from the Church, which his influence ...

9-12 Both the heart and mouth must be watched. The temper and spirit of Diotrephes was full of pride and ambition. It is bad not to do good ourselves; but it is worse to hinder those who would do good. Those cautions and counsels are most likely to be accepted, which are seasoned with love. Follow that which is good, for he that doeth good, as delighting therein, is born of God. Evil-workers vainly pretend or boast acquaintance with God. Let us not follow that which is proud, selfish, and of bad design, though the example may be given by persons of rank and power; but let us be followers of God, and walk in love, after the example of our Lord....

Verse 3 John 1:10. _IF I COME, I WILL REMEMBER_] I will show him the authority which, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, I possess. _PRATING AGAINST US_] Diotrephes might have been a _converted_ _Jew_, who was unwilling that the Gentiles should be received into the Church; or a _Judaizing Christian_, who wished to incorporate the _law_ with the _Gospel_, and calumniated the apostles who taught otherwise. This haughty and unfeeling man would give no countenance to the converted Gentiles; so far from it, that he would not receive any of them himself, forbade others to do it, and excommunicated those who had been received into the Church by the apostles. This appears to be the meaning of _neither doth he_ _himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and_ _casteth them out of the Church_. He had the complet

WHEREFORE, IF I COME - He was evidently expecting soon to make a visit to Gaius, and to the church, 3 John 1:14. I WILL REMEMBER HIS DEEDS WHICH HE DOETH - That is, he would punish his arrogance and presumption; would take measures that he should be dealt with in a proper manner. There is no evidence whatever that this is said in a vindictive or revengeful spirit, or that the writer spoke of it merely as a personal matter. From anything that can be shown to the contrary, if it had been a private and personal affair merely, the matter might have been dropped, and never referred to again. But what had been done was public. It pertained to the authority of the apostle, the duty of the church, and the character of the brethren who had been commended to them. If the letter was written, as is supposed by the aged John, and his

WHEREFORE, IF I COME,.... Where both Gaius and Diotrephes lived, as he trusted he should shortly, 3 John 1:14; I WILL REMEMBER HIS DEEDS WHICH HE DOTH; meaning, not only that he would tell him of them to his face, but make mention of them, and expose them to the whole church, and reprove him for them: and which are as follow, PRATING AGAINST US WITH MALICIOUS WORDS; it is a common thing for ministers of the Gospel to be prated against, not only by the men of the world, but by professors of religion, and by such who call themselves preachers also; nor need it be wondered at, since John, an apostle of Christ, the beloved disciple, who was so harmless and inoffensive in his conversation, so kind and loving in his disposition and temper, so meek and humble in his deportment, and now in such an advanced age, was prated against by a Diotrephes: and what is said

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE THE THIRD EPISTLE The Third Epistle is addressed by the elder, the aged Apostle John, to a brother by name of Gaius. A Gaius is mentioned in Acts 19:29; Acts 20:4, Romans 16:23 and 1 Corinthians 1:14. It is impossible to say whether this is the same. John calls him well-beloved, whom he loved in the truth. Thus he emphasizes the truth once more as he had done before. He wishes that he might prosper in his body, in health, as even his soul prospered. He had heard from the brethren who testified of the truth in him and that he walked in the truth. He rejoiced in this and declares “I have no great

3 JOHN 1:12. COMMENDATION OF DEMETRIUS. He was probably the bearer of this letter and one of the evangelists. The name was so common that any identification with the Demetrius of Acts 19:24 is improbable. 3 JOHN 1:13. CONCLUSION. The writer adds no more because he hopes soon to visit Gaius. He sends greetings from himself and others. 3 John 1:14. the friends: this is almost a technical expression denoting an inner circle in the churches to which the writer and Gaius belonged. Those constituting each group were drawn together by moral affinities and love of the truth. Here the friends at Ephesus send a greeting to Gaius an

THE TEACHER'S JOY (3 John 1:1-4)...

WHEREFORE. On account of (App-104. 3 John 1:2) this. IF. App-118. REMEMBER. See John 14:26. PRATING. Greek. _phluareo_. Only here. Compare 1 Timothy 5:13. MALICIOUS. App-128. WORDS. App-121. NOT. App-105. THEREWITH. upon (App-104.) these (things). NEITHER. Greek. _oute._ FORBIDDETH. hindereth, as Luke 11:52. THEM THAT WOULD. Literally the willing (ones). App-102. CASTETH. Greek. _ekballo._ Compare John 9:34....

Diotrephes condemned for his Arrogance and Hostility This is the most surprising part of the letter; and of the internal evidence this is the item which seems to weigh most heavily against the Apostolic authorship. That any Christian should be found to act in this manner towards the last surviving Apostle is nothing less than astounding. Those who opposed S. Paul, like Alexander the coppersmith (2 Timothy 4:14), afford only remote parallels (1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 1:15). They do not seem to have gone the lengths of Diotrephes: the authority of Apostles was less understood in S. Paul's time: and his claim to be an Apostle was at least open to question; for he was not one of the Twelve, and he had himself been a