3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. MY CHILDREN - members of the Church: confirming the view that the elect lady (2 John) is a church....

1-8 Those who are beloved of Christ, will love the brethren for his sake. Soul prosperity is the greatest blessing on this side heaven. Grace and health are rich companions. Grace will employ health. A rich soul may be lodged in a weak body; and grace must then be exercised in submitting to such a dispensation. But we may wish and pray that those who have prosperous souls, may have healthful bodies; that their grace may shine where there is still more room for activity. How many professors there are, about whom the apostle's words must be reversed, and we must earnestly wish and pray that their souls might prosper, as their health and circumstances do! True faith will work by love. A good report is due from those who receive good; they could not but testify to the church, what they found and felt. Good men will rejoice in the soul prosperity of others; and they are glad to hear of the g...

Verse 3 John 1:4. _TO HEAR THAT MY CHILDREN_] From this it has been inferred that Caius was one of St. John's converts, and consequently not the Corinthian Caius, who was converted, most probably, by St. Paul. But the apostle might use the term _children_ here as implying those who were immediately under his pastoral care, and, being an _old_ man, he had a right to use such terms in addressing his juniors both in age and grace; and there is much both of propriety and dignity in the appellation coming from such a person....

I HAVE NO GREATER JOY THAN TO HEAR THAT MY CHILDREN WALK IN TRUTH - That they adhere steadfastly to the truth, and that they live in accordance with it. This is such language as would be used by an aged apostle when speaking of those who had been converted by his instrumentality, and who looked up to him as a father; and we may, therefore, infer that Gaius had been converted under the ministry of John, and that he was probably a much younger man than he was. John, the aged apostle, says that he had no higher happiness than to learn, respecting those who regarded him as their spiritual father, that they were steadfast in their adherence to the doctrines of religion. The same thing may be: (a) of all the ministers of the gospel, that their highest comfort is found in the fact that those to whom they minister, whether still under their care or removed from them, persevere in a steadfast att...

I HAVE NO GREATER JOY,.... Nothing that causes greater joy. The Vulgate Latin version reads "grace" or "thanks"; and then the sense is, that he had nothing to be more thankful for: THAN TO HEAR THAT MY CHILDREN WALK IN TRUTH; meaning his spiritual children, those whose conversion he had been the instrument of; and among these it seems Gaius was one....

VER. 3 JOHN 1:4 ouvk e;cw cara,n {A} Although the reading ca,rin (B 5 57 1891 2143 2298 2492 vg copbo Hilary) may seem to be intrinsically superior, expressing “the divine favour in a concrete form” (Westcott, _Commentary, ad loc._), the Committee considered it to be a transcriptional modification and preferred the more Johannine cara,n, which is strongly supported by a A C K L P 81 614 1739 syrph, h copsa arm eth....

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 Elder to Gaius, the beloved, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that everything is going well with you, and that you are in good health of body, as it goes well with your soul. It gave me great joy when certain brothers came and testified of the truth of your life, as indeed you do walk in the truth. No news brings me greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. No New Testament letter better shows that the Christian letters were exactly on the model which all letter-writers used in the time of the early church. There is a papyrus letter from Irenaeus, a ship's captain, to his brother Apolinarius: Irenaeus to Apolinarius his brother, my greetings. Continually I pray that you may be in health, even as I myself am in health. I wish you to know that I arrived at land on the 6th of the month Epeiph, and I finished unloading my ship on the 18th of the same...

NO. not. App-105. JOY. See 1 John 1:4. THAN, &C. Literally than these things, that (Greek. _hina)_. may hear of. MY. mine own. CHILDREN. App-108. WALK. walking. TRUTH. the truth....