The Book of 3 John
3 John, fourteen verses long, commends hospitality and faithfulness to the truth, and warns against a domineering church leader who refused to welcome traveling missionaries.
- Testament
- New (1 chapters)
- Type
- Epistle
- Author
- 'The elder' — traditionally John the apostle.
- Date
- Probably 85-95 AD.
Hospitality as gospel work
John praises Gaius for welcoming traveling missionaries; he rebukes Diotrephes for refusing to. Christian hospitality is not optional decoration — it is how the gospel travels.
Authority used to serve, not to dominate
Diotrephes 'loveth to have the preeminence' (9) and uses church leadership to exclude rather than to bless. John names it plainly. The shortest book in the New Testament is, in part, a case study in bad leadership and good.
Key verses (KJV)
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” — 3 John 1:4 (KJV)
“Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good.” — 3 John 1:11 (KJV)
“We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.” — 3 John 1:8 (KJV)
How to read 3 John
Fourteen verses — read in two minutes alongside 2 John. Together they sketch the early church's struggles with hospitality, truth and leadership.
Read 3 John on your iPhone
Read the full book of 3 John in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
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