Personal letter · 1 chapters
3 John
Faithful hospitality supports gospel workers, while Diotrephes’s love of prominence harms the community. Ordinary support and humility matter to the church’s mission.
Historical & literary context
The elder, traditionally associated with John, writes to Gaius about hospitality and a local leadership conflict.
Introduction and study notes are commentary, not Scripture.
The shape of the book
- 1–8 · Gaius and faithful hospitality
- 9–10 · Diotrephes’s obstruction
- 11–14 · Good examples and closing
A passage to begin with
3 John 1:5-8
5Beloved, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, and especially since they are strangers to you. 6They have testified to the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7For they went out on behalf of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Read the full chapterThink it through
How can welcoming others become participation in their faithful work?