📖WEB · 3 John 1:10
What does 3 John 1:10 mean?
"Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly."
— 3 John 1:10 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles.
We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say.
Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.
Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.
Demetrius has the testimony of all, and of the truth itself; yes, we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.
I had many things to write to you, but I am unwilling to write to you with ink and pen;
Explanation
In this verse, the Apostle John is writing about a man named Diotrephes, who has caused serious trouble in a local church. John says that if he comes to visit, he intends to publicly expose what Diotrephes has been doing—spreading malicious, false accusations against John and his fellow workers. John further explains that Diotrephes has refused to welcome traveling Christian teachers sent out to spread the gospel, and worse, he has actively stopped others in the church who wanted to show hospitality to these visitors, going so far as to expel from the congregation anyone who defied him.
This letter is one of the shortest books in the New Testament, written by John (traditionally identified as the apostle) to a beloved friend named Gaius. It belongs to a small collection of personal letters addressed to individuals rather than churches. In the culture of the early church, itinerant missionaries and teachers depended heavily on the hospitality of local believers as they traveled from place to place spreading the gospel. Supporting these traveling workers was considered a mark of faithfulness and partnership in the gospel mission. Diotrephes, however, had positioned himself as a leader who craved control and prominence—verse 9 tells us he "loves to be first"—and he used his influence to reject John's authority, slander his character, and punish those in the church who disagreed with him by expelling them.
Theologically, this passage exposes the danger of pride and the abuse of power within the church. Diotrephes represents a leader who has confused personal ambition with spiritual authority, using his position not to serve the body of Christ but to d
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