Bible Discussion Thread

INTRODUCTION TO 3 JOHN (Part 4):

V. ABOUT II JOHN:

2 John was written right after I John. 2 John was written to combat the infiltration of Gnostic teaching into the church.

VI. ABOUT III JOHN:

3 John was written shortly after 2 John. This letter was written to instruct the church about the responsibilities of genuine hospitality.

Now you remember from 2 John, that there was an elect lady in one of the churches. And she, like many, as John is making reference to, in every city there were a few people who housed traveling ministers in their homes.

And they made their base of operation out of the homes that they stayed in. They themselves did not take much money. In fact, there was a rule within the early church that if you were a Jewish Christian called to ministry, you did not take money from the Gentiles, and that you preached the gospel free of charge.

Now this elect lady, she would keep some of these traveling teachers in her home. But John, in making an emphasis (even to us), he said that love and truth go hand in hand. You cannot offer your home out of love in order to support that which is not true.

And we even have that philosophy today, where false teaching is pointed out, but the people, whether they are the congregation or the people sitting under that ministry, they will say they don't do anything about it because "we function in love."

But love and truth are inseparable. If you're compromising truth for the sake of love, that is not the love that the bible is talking about. But we have an opposite. It is interesting that in 3 John we have a man named Gaius, and he also was one that housed traveling ministers. And he wouldn't house people unless they were of the truth.