The Gospel's X-Ray: Imitation and Testimony Text: 3 John 1:11-12
Introduction: The World of Duplicates
We live in a world of imitation. Children learn to speak by imitating their parents. Cultures are built on shared patterns of behavior, passed down from one generation to the next. The entire advertising industry is a massive, multi-billion dollar project dedicated to getting you to imitate the beautiful, successful, and happy people on your screen. Imitation is not an option; it is the fundamental law of human society. The only real question is this: who, or what, will you imitate?
The Apostle John, writing here with the pastoral authority of a seasoned elder, cuts right to the heart of this reality. He has just finished describing a man named Diotrephes, a cancerous growth in the church who "loves to have the preeminence." Diotrephes is a bad actor. He rejects apostolic authority, slanders good men, and excommunicates the faithful. He is a walking, talking exhibition of evil. In stark contrast, John has commended Gaius for his faithfulness and hospitality. The battle lines are drawn, not over abstract doctrines, but over concrete behavior. The conflict is between two ways of life, two patterns to be imitated.
John is not writing a philosophical treatise on the abstract nature of good and evil. He is giving practical, sharp-edged pastoral counsel. He places two models before Gaius, and by extension before us. One is the way of Diotrephes, the way of pride, slander, and division. The other is the way of Demetrius, the way of a good and true witness. And then he lays down the command: "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good." This is not a suggestion. It is a gospel imperative. Your life is a copy of something. John's great concern is to make sure you are copying from the right original.
In these two short verses, John gives us a diagnostic tool, a spiritual X-ray, to examine the state of our own souls and the health of our churches. He ties our actions directly to our spiritual parentage and the reality of our relationship with God. And he shows us what a trustworthy testimony actually looks like. This is intensely practical, and it strikes at the root of all hypocrisy.
The Text
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. 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.
(3 John 1:11-12 LSB)
The Great Divide (v. 11)
John begins with a command that is both simple and profound.
"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." (3 John 1:11)
First, notice the affection: "Beloved." John is not a distant bureaucrat or a harsh taskmaster. He is a father in the faith, and his instruction flows from love. All true Christian exhortation must be grounded in this kind of covenantal affection. He is not telling them to pull themselves up by their own moral bootstraps. He is appealing to them on the basis of who they are in Christ, they are the beloved.
The command itself is a stark choice: "do not imitate what is evil, but what is good." This is not a call to some kind of abstract moralism. In the context, "evil" has a face; it is the behavior of Diotrephes. "Good" has a face; it is the behavior of Gaius and, as we will see, Demetrius. Christianity is not a set of disembodied principles. It is a way of life embodied in people. We are to look at the fruit of people's lives and choose our examples wisely. Paul says the same thing: "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us" (Philippians 3:17). We are to be pattern-followers.
But then John drives the point down to the theological bedrock. He connects our actions to our spiritual source. "The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God." This is a staggering statement. John is not saying that we are saved by our good works. He, of all people, knows that salvation is by grace through faith. What he is saying is that a life characterized by doing good is the necessary evidence of being "of God." Good works are the fruit, not the root, of salvation. If the root is genuinely connected to God, the fruit will inevitably be good. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. It is a matter of spiritual genetics.
To be "of God" means to have been born of Him, to share His nature. And God is good. Therefore, those who are His children will begin to resemble their Father. The imitation of good is the family resemblance of the saints. Conversely, the one whose life is a pattern of evil "has not seen God." This doesn't mean they haven't seen God with their physical eyes; no one has. It means they have no true, saving knowledge of Him. They are spiritually blind. They may be in the church, they may even hold a position of leadership like Diotrephes, but their actions betray their true allegiance. Their works are an open declaration that, despite their profession, they are strangers to the God of grace. John is drawing a sharp, clear line. There is no middle ground, no third category of people who are "of God" but consistently imitate what is evil. Your actions are the readout of your heart's true condition.
A Threefold Testimony (v. 12)
After laying down the principle, John provides a positive example to imitate. He puts a name and a face to "what is good."
"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." (3 John 1:12 LSB)
Here we see the anatomy of a trustworthy Christian reputation. It is not about public relations or managing your image. A true testimony is built on three pillars, and John lays them out for us. Demetrius, who was likely the bearer of this letter, is the case study.
First, he has "a good witness from everyone." This refers to his public reputation among the brethren. The people who knew him, who saw him up close, who did business with him, all spoke well of him. This is not the same as being a man-pleaser. Diotrephes was likely very popular with his own faction. But Demetrius had a widespread, general reputation for godliness among the faithful. A good name is to be chosen over great riches (Proverbs 22:1), and this is what that looks like. It is a life lived with integrity in the open.
Second, and more importantly, Demetrius has a good witness "from the truth itself." This is the objective standard. It is one thing for people to like you. It is another thing entirely for your life to align with the truth of God's Word. The "truth itself" testifies to Demetrius because his conduct is a living embodiment of the gospel he professes. His life doesn't contradict his doctrine. His actions are consistent with the reality revealed in Scripture. This is the ultimate test. A man can have a stellar reputation among men, but if his life is out of step with the truth, his reputation is a carefully constructed lie. The truth itself bears witness against him. For Demetrius, the truth was his advocate.
Third, John adds his own apostolic testimony: "and we add our witness, and you know that our witness is true." The "we" here is the apostolic "we." John, speaking with the authority of the last living apostle, puts his stamp of approval on Demetrius. And he appeals to Gaius's own knowledge: "you know that our witness is true." There was a track record. John's commendations were not handed out lightly. This threefold cord, the testimony of the people, the testimony of the Word, and the testimony of godly leadership, is not easily broken. This is what makes Demetrius a safe man to imitate.
Conclusion: Copying Christ
So what is the takeaway for us? The principle is timeless. We are all in the business of imitation. We are all building a reputation, a testimony, with our lives.
First, we must be ruthless in evaluating our own patterns. Are we imitating the good? Are we looking to the faithful examples God has placed in our lives and in Scripture? Or are we, perhaps subtly, imitating the patterns of the world or the prideful patterns of a Diotrephes? Our conduct is not a secondary issue; it is the primary evidence of our spiritual state. Doing good does not make us "of God," but being "of God" will always, always result in doing good.
Second, we must understand that the ultimate "good" we are to imitate is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. All worthy human examples, like Demetrius, are worthy only because they are themselves imitating Christ. Paul said, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus is the original. Everyone else is just a copy. He is the one who perfectly embodied the truth. He is the one to whom the Father, the Spirit, and all of creation bear witness. Our goal in the Christian life is to be conformed to His image.
And this is where the gospel comes in with all its power. We cannot do this on our own. Our natural inclination is to imitate evil, because we are fallen. But the good news is that God, in Christ, has given us a new nature. He has made us "of God." He has given us the Holy Spirit so that we might have the power to imitate the good. And He has given us the church, a community of fellow-imitators, where we can see living examples like Demetrius and be encouraged by them.
Therefore, look at your life. Who are you copying? Does your life receive a good testimony from the brethren? More importantly, does it receive a good testimony from the truth itself? Does your walk match your talk? If it does, then praise God, for you are showing the world that you are "of God." If it does not, then you must flee to Christ, who is the only perfect pattern, and who offers not only a model to imitate but also the grace to do it.