Faith & Reason Nexus

AUTHOR: John

TIME WRITTEN: Probably about A.D. 90 from Ephesus

POSITION IN THE BIBLE:

• 64th Book in the Bible
• 25th Book in the New Testament
• 20th of 21 Epistle Books (Romans – Jude)
• 2 Books to follow it

CHAPTERS: 1

VERSES: 14

WORDS: 299

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT 3 JOHN:

• Authorship and Context:
• John, the author, was one of the original 12 apostles and part of Jesus’ inner circle (Peter, James, and John).
• He was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23) and was one of the first two disciples called by Jesus.
• He played a key role in the early church, being one of the “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9).
• John spent his later years in Ephesus and was exiled to Patmos towards the end of the 1st century.
• Literary Context:
• John authored five books in the New Testament: the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation.
• Only Paul authored more New Testament books than John.
• 3 John is one of two one-chapter books written by John, the other being 2 John.
• It is also one of the five one-chapter books in the Bible, including Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, and Jude.
• Content and Purpose:
• The letter is addressed to Gaius, commending him for his hospitality towards traveling missionaries and for his support of the truth.
• It criticizes Diotrephes, who is causing trouble in the church by seeking to dominate and reject those who do not follow his lead. John promises to address this issue upon his arrival.
• The letter underscores the importance of extending hospitality to true teachers of the faith while warning against supporting false teachers.
• Unique Aspects:
• 3 John is the shortest book in the Bible.
• It makes no explicit mention of Christ.
• It was likely delivered by Demetrius.
• Key Verse:
• “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 11)