3Jo 5-12 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 3John 1:5-8: 1:5-8 John now encourages Gaius to continue supporting the traveling teachers whom John had sent out (1:3 ). 1:5 Gaius provided hospitality for the traveling teachers (literally the brothers ) sent by John from church to church to affirm the apostles’ teaching about Christ (1:7-8 ). By doing this, Gaius showed that he had received the truth from the apostles and that he was thus faithful to God .

Summary for 3John 1:5-8: 1:5-8 ^a John now encourages Gaius to continue supporting the traveling teachers whom John had sent out (1:3 ^b). 1:5 ^c Gaius provided hospitality for the traveling teachers (literally the brothers) sent by John from church to church to affirm the apostles’ teaching about Christ (1:7-8 ^d). By doing this, Gaius showed that he had received the truth from the apostles and that he was thus faithful to God.
1:6 ^e The church here was most likely in Ephesus, where John was probably staying. Ephesus was an important port city in the province of Asia, and the fourth-largest city in the Roman Empire. It became an important city for the Christian community (Acts 18:19–19:41 ^f; 1 Tim 1:3 ^g; 1 Pet 1:1 ^h; Rev 2:1-7 ⁱ).
Summary for 3John 1:7-8: 1:7-8 ^j for the Lord (literally on behalf of the Name): John did not need to identify whose name this was because all the early Christians knew that the Name represented Jesus Christ (see Acts 5:41 ^k).

• The traveling teachers had chosen to accept nothing offered to them from people who are not believers, but to rely fully on the churches for their support. Christians who support legitimate traveling teachers become their partners as they teach the truth (see Matt 10:41-42 ^l; Phil 4:15-19 ^m).
Summary for 3John 1:9-12: 1:9-12 ⁿ In these verses, John condemns Diotrephes and presents Demetrius as the model of a faithful Christian who lives according to the truth. Gaius is urged to emulate Demetrius. 1:9 ^o I wrote to the church about this: This could refer to 1 John or to a letter that is now lost.

• Diotrephes was full of pride and self-importance (cp. 1 Tim 3:6 ^p), motivated by selfish ambition.

• refuses to have anything to do with us: This dissidence was one of the key issues John dealt with in 1 John (see, e.g., 1 Jn 2:19 ^q; 4:5-6 ^r). Diotrephes rejected the teachers sent by John and excommunicated any members of the church who did accept them. He wanted to rule the local church without answering to any outside authority.
1:11 ^s those who do evil: Diotrephes was condemned for his failure to live by the Christian rule of love (1 Jn 3:10-14 ^t). This was how Gaius could be sure that Diotrephes was not living according to the truth. This applies to all who refuse to accept the apostolic teaching about Jesus Christ and refuse to live in fellowship with others who do.
1:12 ^u Demetrius was the very opposite of Diotrephes, a prime example of one who knows the truth and practices it (1:3 ^v). The placement of Demetrius’s name at the end of the letter suggests that he was the one who carried John’s letter to Gaius (cp. Col 4:7-9 ^w; 1 Pet 5:12 ^x).

• you know we speak the truth: John wished to protect his honor as a reliable elder over these churches rather than being shamed by any possible usurpation by Diotrephes and other false teachers.