Commentary - 3 John 1:11-12

Bird's-eye view

In these closing verses of his brief letter to Gaius, the apostle John brings his instruction to a sharp, practical point. Having warned against the proud and inhospitable Diotrephes, he now presents the alternative. Christian conduct is not a matter of navigating a gray fog of competing opinions; it is a stark choice between two ways of walking. One way is evil, and its source is a profound ignorance of God. The other way is good, and it is the natural outflow of a life that is genuinely "of God."

John does not leave this as an abstract principle. He provides a living example in the person of Demetrius. Here is a man whose life aligns with the truth. His testimony is not a matter of slick presentation or popular acclaim alone; it is a three-stranded cord. Everyone speaks well of him, the apostle and his associates speak well of him, and most importantly, "the truth itself" speaks well of him. This passage serves as a vital reminder that true Christian faith is never invisible. It walks, it acts, and it leaves a verifiable record that aligns with the objective reality of the gospel.

Outline

Verse by Verse Commentary

v. 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. John begins with a term of endearment, "Beloved," reminding Gaius that this sharp command comes from a place of pastoral love. The instruction itself is straightforward. Christianity is a profoundly mimetic faith; we are created to learn and grow by imitation. The only question is who or what we will imitate. Paul tells the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Here, John sets up a clear antithesis. On one side is the evil behavior of Diotrephes, his love of preeminence, his rejection of apostolic authority, his slander, and his inhospitable spirit (vv. 9-10). Gaius is told not to copy that pattern. On the other side is "what is good." This is not an abstract ideal but the concrete pattern of godly living, exemplified by men like Demetrius. The command is simple: look at the two examples and copy the right one. Don't be the Diotrephes-type; be the Demetrius-type.

The one who does good is of God; Now John provides the theological bedrock for his command. This is not simply a matter of choosing a better behavioral strategy. Ethical actions are never detached from their spiritual source. The one who "does good", the one whose life is characterized by hospitality, truthfulness, and humility, provides evidence of his spiritual origin. He "is of God." This phrase points directly to regeneration, to the new birth. Good works are not the cause of our being "of God," but they are the necessary and inevitable fruit of it. As Paul says, we are God's workmanship, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). A man does good because he has been made good by a gracious God.

the one who does evil has not seen God. Here is the other side of the coin, and it is a stark warning. The one who "does evil", the Diotrephes figure who practices selfish ambition and rejects the brethren, demonstrates his spiritual state just as clearly. He "has not seen God." John is not speaking of physical sight, of course. To "see" God in the Johannine sense is to know Him, to have fellowship with Him, to understand His character through the revelation of Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:9; 1 John 3:6). To practice evil is to be spiritually blind. It is to live as though God has not revealed Himself, as though Christ has not come. This is not a statement about a temporary lapse in an otherwise faithful believer. It describes the fundamental orientation of a life. The man's actions betray his core ignorance of the God he may profess to serve. His deeds are so contrary to the character of God that they prove he has no real acquaintance with Him.

v. 12 Demetrius has received a good witness from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our witness, and you know that our witness is true.

Demetrius has received a good witness from everyone, John now puts flesh on the positive command to imitate what is good. Here is the man to imitate: Demetrius. And how do we know he is a worthy example? He has a good testimony, a solid reputation. This is not a minor thing in Scripture. Elders and deacons must be well thought of, even by outsiders (1 Tim. 3:7, 10). The witness here is "from everyone," which likely refers to all the faithful believers who have encountered him. His godly character is not a secret; it is public knowledge among the saints. This is the first line of evidence: the general consensus of the church.

and from the truth itself; This is the anchor for all the other testimony. The witness of "everyone" is good, but popular opinion can be fickle. John therefore adds a much weightier testimony: that of "the truth itself." What does this mean? It means that the life of Demetrius is in accord with the objective, unbending standard of God's revealed Word. The truth of the gospel has a particular shape, and the life of Demetrius fits that shape. His conduct does not contradict the doctrine he professes. Reality itself testifies on his behalf. If you lay the blueprint of Scripture over the life of Demetrius, you find that they match up. This is the ultimate commendation. A man can fool other men for a time, but he cannot fool the truth.

and we add our witness, and you know that our witness is true. The third strand of the cord is the testimony of the apostle John and his companions. "We add our witness." This is the apostolic confirmation. John, an apostle of the Lord Jesus, personally vouches for this man. And he doesn't just state it; he appeals to Gaius's own knowledge. "You know that our witness is true." Gaius had a longstanding relationship with John and knew him to be a man of integrity. Therefore, he could trust John's endorsement. So we have a threefold testimony: the general reputation among the saints, the objective conformity to the Word of God, and the specific confirmation of a trusted apostolic authority. This is the kind of man who should be welcomed, supported, and imitated.

Application

This passage pushes back hard against the modern evangelical tendency to separate belief from behavior. For the apostle John, what you do is a direct reflection of who you are and whose you are. There are no secret agent Christians who are "of God" but whose lives consistently imitate what is evil. Our actions are a testimony, one way or the other.

We are commanded to be imitators. This means we must be careful about the examples we choose to follow. In an age of celebrity pastors and online personalities, we must not be swayed by charisma or platform size. We should look for the Demetrius-types, men whose lives have a good report from those who know them well, and whose conduct aligns with the truth of Scripture. Reputation matters. Character matters.

Finally, we must recognize that truth is an objective standard. A good witness is not just that people like you. A good witness is that your life is consistent with "the truth itself." We cannot redefine the good to suit our lifestyles. We must conform our lives to the good as defined by God in His Word. The life that is truly "of God" will be a life that loves the truth, walks in the truth, and is vindicated by the truth.