Reading the Bible Together – 3 John

February 2020

– The book we are reading this month is the third epistle of John, 3 John, which is the 25th book of the New Testament.

This will be the 59th book of the Bible we will have read, since commencing this initiative over four years ago in October 2015. (We have actually read Matthew and Joshua twice!) . There are a total of 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Only 7 more to go and we will have read the whole Bible together!

We will review this month’s book at our Bible Study and Prayer Meeting on Thursday 5th March 2020.

Introduction to the Book of 3 John

3 John 1:4 – I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

3 John 1:11 – Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Outline of 3 John

Overview

• Chapter 1:1-8 – The Godliness and Generosity of Gaius.
• Chapter 1:9-11 – The Selfishness of Diotrephes.
• Chapter 1:12 – The Good Example of Demetrius

The epistle of 3 John is a letter where John commends a Christian man named Gaius who showed warm hearted hospitality to certain missionary helpers of John’s. These same missionaries had been treated badly by an officer of the local church named Diotrephes. Not only does John commend Gaius for his hospitality but he calls him beloved four times. John writes this letter to inform Gaius as to how to deal with this situation and to tell him of his plan to visit him and the church as soon as possible.

Summary of 3 John

Author. The three epistles of John are surely the work of one man and most scholars conclude that it is John the apostle. 2 John and 3 John are almost exactly the same length, and the phraseology is extremely similar.

Audience. The epistle of 3 John is addressed to Gaius, and there are three men named Gaius in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:14; Acts 19:29; Acts 20 :4), and it is impossible to know which, if any of these is the Gaius referred to in 3 John. Gaius was a very common name in the Greek and Roman world, and this Gaius was evidently a prominent member of one of the churches that the apostle John was familiar with. Gaius was known for his hospitality.

Date. 3 John is thought by many Bible teachers to have been written in John’s old age, about 90 AD. There is no clear evidence when the book was written or where it was written from.

More information can be found HERE

SHORT ILLUSTRATED SUMMARY OF 3 JOHN

Back to news