Walking in the Truth

The unity of the church is always on my mind. There seems to be more and more of the spirit of the world seeping into the body of Christ and the ways and attitudes of Babylon are taking root. There has been a movement of those who consider themselves defenders of the faith and discerners of the truth that ostracize and cast out those who don’t fit into their mold. I’ve noticed they have often failed to discern the attitudes and spirit of the world that they have aligned themselves with rather than walking in the Way of Christ by seeking to edify, build up, live in unity with diversity, and grow in Christ-formed maturity.

This week I’ve been reading through 3 John; it is a very small 15-verse letter in the back of our Bible that many of us probably have not given a ton of attention to (me included). It often doesn’t land on people’s favorite lists such as Romans, Philippians, or the Psalms. But this letter packs a punch in talking about unity through addressing attitudes of what John calls “evil” in the church. We have taught a series on the Seven Churches in Revelation and in that we saw that the major message from John there was regarding the ways of Babylon that have taken root in the churches in Asia Minor. Likewise, in 3 John, he writes about “evil”, in terms of worldly attitudes, that have seeped into the church.

John’s epistles were written to the churches in Ephesus. Church history tells us that John the Apostle was an elder here in his old age. In 3 John he is just called “the elder”. He was likely part of shepherding a network of house churches as well as other apostles and itinerant teachers. If you want our x44 take on what an elder is simply type elder into the search box to the right or search our Youtube channel. This sermon might also help.

In this letter there are 3 characters:

Gaius: Who is the recipient of the letter and likely an elder or leader at the church John is writing to.
Diotrephes: Who’s attitude is what the letter of 3 John is about. He was likely either an elder, leader, or teacher in this house church.
Demetrius: Likely a younger person in the church who is an example of walking in truth.

In this study we are going to look at the character of Diotrephes, specifically because I believe there’s some of his spirit in churches today. First, we need to look at how John contrasts his spirit against what John calls “walking in the truth”.

3 John 1-4

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

“Truth” is one of the central images in all of the Johannine writings (Gospel of John, 1-3 John, Revelation). Truth (aletheia) is used 45 times in these letters. The gospel of John begins saying that Jesus came full of “grace and truth” (1:14). Jesus says that John the baptizer testified to the “truth”, which was Jesus (5:33). And Jesus declares he is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6). Thus, the truth is more than simply correct facts and interpretations- it is a person (Jesus) and a Way we are called to live. We could believe all the right things and have all the best interpretations of the Bible and still not be in the “truth”.

John describes the truth this way in 1 John 2:4-6:

The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

“Truth” in verse 4 is “knowing him” and this is defined by walking as Jesus walked in verse 6. The Greek verb for “walk” is peripateo and it is a Hebrew idiom translated into Greek. In Hebrew, it would be halach, which was used to express a way of life. In the first century this would have been the picture of the relationship of a disciple to their rabbi. In 3 John 3-4 truth is likewise described as more than walking in correct facts and interpretations but in walking in the character, behavior, and deeds of Jesus. John goes on to give some examples of this:

3 John 5-8

Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

John shows that walking in the truth is in part about being faithful in your humble service to the brothers and sisters in Christ, living in a testimony/witness of love (1 Cor 13:4-7), and displaying hospitality to those in the church and strangers.

During the first century and following centuries there were prophets, apostles, and teachers who were itinerant and sent to edify and build up the churches in an area. The Didache is an early church writing dating around 100 AD and it is often called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. It gives instructions on how to live as lights in the world and not to follow the ways and behaviors of the world in the first half of the writing. In the second half it gives instructions on different sacramental and functional items such as baptism, communion, welcoming these traveling ministers, and the attitude the body of Christ should have for each other in love.

In Didache chapters 11-13 it talks about welcoming traveling prophets and apostles. In this, it says to receive anyone who teaches in the way of increasing justice towards neighbor and knowledge of the Lord (Did. 11:2) and to receive them as the Lord for 1-2 days, but if they want to settle there they must work to support themselves and the community (Did. 11:3-7, 12:1-5). The way to test these teachers is based on deeds that are of the “conduct of the Lord” and teachings that are not of wicked men (Did. 11:1, 9). The whole section is focused on the behavior and attitude of the teachers because a true prophet must “walk out” what he teaches (Did. 11:8-12). The Didache is not part of the scriptural canon but it is well attested as something informative, trustworthy, and useful in the life of the early church.

We don’t have many traveling prophets or apostles today, most of our ministers and teachers are “in house”, but the same can be said in all of this regarding how we treat brothers and sisters in the body of Christ – both leaders (the mature in Christ) and the younger (less mature in Christ). We should display the truth through walking in love, in hospitality, looking at the fruit of faithfulness, and really centering ourselves on character and actions that reflect Jesus. This is really the core message of 3 John.

When we continue in this text we come to Diotrephes, who’s attitude is what this letter is mostly about or at least contrasted with.

3 John 9-11

I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. 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.

As we mentioned above, Diotrephes was possibly a teaching leader, an elder in the house church with Gaius, or at least someone with some influence in the body of Christ in this church. John describes him as one “who loves to be first among them [and] does not accept what we say [teach]”. John Stott notes that word philoprōteuein (“to be first”) in the region of Asia Minor at this time “denoted two tempers which disturbed the Christian life of Asia Minor—intellectual arrogance and personal aggrandizement.”^[1] It seems that Diotrephes is setting himself up as the guardian of truth in the church, seeing other teachers as rivals, and will only permit teaching that lines up with him, and doesn’t mess with his assumed authority as a teacher.

Now, correct beliefs and teaching are important, but approaching the scripture in humility is also essential. There are many people that believe things just because a pastor “told them so” or because it has been their tradition without without looking at the context of scripture, original languages, social and cultural meanings, historical interpretations, or how scripture interprets scripture, as well as being led by the Spirit in these textures of interpretation. I’m not saying we all need to have doctorate degrees in Biblical interpretation but we need to be humble in our approach to scripture as an ancient text written for us but not to us. We should use the tools available to us for research and consider the gifts in people who do this for the benefit of the church, as well as prayer and humbly seeking the Spirit to guide us. Humbleness and open mindedness combined with the leading of the Spirit are important when approaching the text. As we pointed out above, our beliefs and interpretations should lead us into Christlike behavior and attitudes. Producing spiritual fruit and attitudes is the proof of our “walking in the truth”.

Notice that John does not call out Diotrephes’ beliefs, teaching, or interpretation, but rather he calls out his deeds- his attitude. First, he says he “unjustly accuses people with wicked words”. The verb phlyarōn (accusing) means to “talk nonsense” in classical Greek. It conveys the idea that the words were not only wicked, but senseless. The noun phlyaroi in 1 Timothy 5:13 is translated “tattlers” in KJV and “gossips” in NIV. The NEB renders the phrase: “He lays baseless and spiteful charges against us”. Essentially this is defined as slander. Slander is “the action of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation or to make false and damaging statements about someone” (Oxford). In Proverbs this is one of the things the Lord hates the most:

Proverbs 6:16-19

There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

“False witness” here is a liar and slanderer. In Proverbs, and likewise with John, it is connected to evil and spreading strife in the community.

Diotrephes is not content with simply ruining ones reputation or making damaging statements, he has a threefold mission- 1) to not receive someone as a brother (labeling them as non-Christian or someone outside “his” community), 2) forbidding any who want this teacher welcomed in the church, and 3) a desire to cast this person and those who welcome that person out of the church.

In verse 11 John gives a summary on his thoughts on this behavior. He calls the deeds evil. John says that Diotrephes is walking in the way of evil and not the truth. In this he is encouraging Gaius and the rest of the church here to imitate the truth and not the deeds Diotrephes is walking in. A very serious line in scripture comes next in verse 11, “the one who does evil has not seen God”. Diotrephes is a part of the Christian community but His deeds show an alignment with things opposed to Christ’s Way.

John explains this in John 1:18: No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

“Explained” (exegeomai) is the Greek word we get “exegesis” from. Jesus has exegeted God- he has explained him through His life. What John is saying is that no one has seen the complete Way (truth) until Jesus’ incarnation. Hebrews’ author says it in this way :

Hebrews 1:1-3a

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature

The Hebrews are being encouraged to walk the way of Jesus because Jesus is what God has to say. He is the Word of God and also the exact representation (imprint/mark- charagma) of who God is and what God is like. When you see Jesus you see God. He is the one we are called to imitate, not the world. Jesus teaches us how to truly be human.

Jesus also points this out to Philip saying that his works (deeds) are the Father’s works and those abiding in him will do his works (and greater) too.

John 14:9-15

“Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

The one who has not seen Jesus has also not really seen God. The evidence of this is that they don’t walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:4-6). They are not in the truth because they are not obeying the way (commands) of Christ. To “keep” these commands is not about legalistic box checking but about the transformation that comes out of loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is someone who has not progressed in transformation into the likeness of Christ- it is proof of spiritual immaturity. Paul explains this saying,

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

The thing we look into we are transformed into the likeness of.

Diotrephes’ deeds are proof of the need to grow in the fruit of the Spirit in his life and of the fact he isn’t devotedly walking in the way of the truth. He seems to be walking more in the spirit of the World. Was he looking more into the world or Christ?

Paul speaks of this also to the Galatian church:

Galatians 5:15-26

But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Paul does not just list moral items but also attitudes and behaviors. The text says that when these fruits of the flesh are present we will devour one another (v15) and it flows from not walking and living in step with the Spirit. Instead it is rooted in boasting, challenges for higher honor, and envy (v26)- this is walking in the spirit of the world. If the church lets these attitudes of Babylon in the church it will result in destruction. This is the reason John says that when he comes he will address the “deeds” of Diotrephes, not just beliefs, teachings, and interpretations.

John concludes his letter with an acknowledgement of Demetrius connected to “what is good” (v11). Coming on the heels of talking about “the evil”, John is reminded of Demetrius when thinking about “the good”.

3 John 12-15

Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

We don’t know much about Demetrius outside of his character and attitude. Interpreters speculate about him; many think he was a member of this congregation who was younger. This is interesting because John is pointing out that sometimes a “younger” can act more mature in Christ than an “older”. John’s main concern in this letter is concentrated on the attitudes and deeds in the church that reflect Christ.

Rather than being a “false witness” like Diotrephes, Demetrius is displayed as a good witness to the way of Christ. Martureo is the Greek verb for our English word to witness, to testify, and the noun martus is what we get martyr from.[2] This word is about being a representative of Jesus and also about giving a testimony or witness of something that you’ve seen and experienced- a whole life reflecting Him. Demetrius’ life is a good testimony/witness and it is summarized by John in three examples: 1) he is well spoken of and has a good reputation with the church, 2) he is confirmed by the truth itself (Jesus and the Spirit in him), 3) and John and the other leaders speak well of his life and witness. Demetrius lives in unity and harmony with the body of Christ in faithfulness, hospitality, and love- he is walking in the way of Jesus.

This study is not aimed at any one person in particular but rather about the attitude and spirit of the world that we’ve seen in the church that is hindering the witness of the church. The church needs to walk in the truth because if we do not walk in truth people will never believe the truth of the gospel. Notice that John seeks to correct the deeds or the spirit of Diotrephes and not cast him out of the community. He is seeking restoration and unity.

Here are some questions we should humbly ask ourselves and our churches:

What can we do to foster a community that walks as Jesus walked?

What steps do we need to take to stop devouring one another in the church?

How can we listen in order to understand instead of listening to just respond?

How can we build, edify, redeem, and restore instead of tearing down and casting out?

What are the attitudes of Babylon in me that need to be purged?

What are the spirits of Babylon in our church that need to be expunged so that we can walk in unity?

Lord help us live out the desire of our King- to live together in unity and love so that the world may know Him.

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:20-26)

How will the church of Jesus come to unity?

“There’s unity in the Spirit only in the graveyard of the flesh.”

^[1] John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 235.

[2] Check out the Bible project video on witness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhcmzjwbvyk

Article written by Matt Mouzakis Th.D. (edited & postscript written by Will Ryan Th.D.)

POSTSCRIPT:

“keep them in Your name; those you gave to Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:11

Have you ever wondered why the church is often divided? Why do we argue over theological details and rather insignificant differences? Jesus used a Hebrew word, ‘ehad. Deuteronomy 6 introduces this word to describe the oneness of God, YHWH is one. Perhaps you have never considered this, but the Hebrew word signifies the constitutional covenant agreement with Israel or those that were given freedom and new life out of the Exodus, a covenant that covered everyone who is aligned in obedience with YHWH regardless of bloodline or their past. Later it would be the same under the teaching of Jesus as it continues to be true today. Everyone has their own journey or expedition, but we are united together under the name of YHWH. In Hebraic thinking, scriptural debate was welcomed and usually celebrated as something that would deepen faith. Later in the first century the church thrived and even became known and unified through these “Mars Hill” type of interactions. It is unfortunate that today (and throughout history) that many have used theology to divide the “oneness” of God rather than build the deeper faith of the church. Stimulate your mind. Challenge your perception. Grow deeper with Jesus.

“until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13

The Greek word henoteta comes from a root that means “one”. You may remember that Jesus prayed for and emphasized this kind of unity in the Spirit. Ephesians continues Jesus’ theme as one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. In the first century church Paul defines dissensions and schisms as missing the mark. Submission, humility and service, or taking on the mind of Christ is essential to be one in Christ.

I also might suggest following up this read with this X44 article.