Sermon Tone Analysis

“The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church.

You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.

For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

“I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us.

And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

“Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good.

Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself.

We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

“I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.”[1]

We meet Gaius only one time in Scripture, and that is here in the brief book we know as Third John.

The book, if it can be called a book, is actually a personal letter to this man.

In this letter, the author encourages Gaius to continue doing what he has been doing to advance the Kingdom of God.

Likely, Gaius pastored a congregation, perhaps in the Roman province of Asia.

He distinguished himself through faithful service to the One who appointed him to his charge, and John, occupying a position of respect among the believers, was aware of his service.

The aged Apostle uses an arresting phrase when addressing Gaius.

He says Gaius is loved in truth: “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.”

This is a theological statement affirming the orthodoxy of Gaius.

“Truth” is the Elder’s way of pointing out theological orthodoxy, theological orthopraxy and Christian love in the face of challenges mounted by others, even among the churches.

*Truth as Witnessed in Orthodoxy* — Every religion claims to be orthodox—even those that are identified as cults.

Christians often seem ready, even eager, to cast aspersions on fellow believers who do not agree with them.

Let me say quite frankly that we will not ever agree fully on every doctrine that is presented.

This should not be surprising since after all, the revelation of God draws us to explore One who is infinite.

Thus, the truths revealed through His Word are far greater than we could dare imagine with our limited understanding and with the finite abilities we possess.

Orthodoxy speaks of “right doctrine.”

We can always find something about which we disagree with fellow Christians.

I heard of a businessman who was driving home from work when he saw a man perched on the side of a bridge.

It was obvious that this man was preparing to jump from the span into the dark waters below.

Moved with compassion for the poor soul prepared to take his life, this businessman stopped his car, got out and crawled over the railing and stepped onto the bridge span with the man threatening to end it all.

Getting close, the businessman tried to strike up a conversation.

“Man, don’t jump,” the businessman started.

“Surely you’ve got something worth living for.”

“Life isn’t worth living,” said the dejected man, looking down at the river below.

“My wife ran away.

My dog died.

The bank seized my car.

The mortgage company repossessed my house.

I was fired from my job.

Life just isn’t worth living.”

Well, this was a serious situation, and so the businessman changed his tack.

He decided to point the desperate man to God. “You know,” he began, “I’m a Christian, and maybe if you knew God…”

“I’m a Christian,” interjected the jumper with genuine interest in his voice.

“Yeah?

What denomination?”

“I’m a Baptist.”

“Wow!

I’m a Baptist too!

Convention or Independent?”

“Independent.”

“Great!

So am I. Missionary or Anti-missionary?”

“Missionary.”

“Okay!

Armenian or Calvinist?”

“Calvinist.”

“No kidding!

Eschatology?”

“Pre-millennial.”

The fellow who was trying to help became very excited, and so he asked, “Pre-trib?

Post-trib?

Or Mid-Trib?”

“Pre-trib.”

“All right!

Dispensational theology or Covenant theology?”

“Dispensational.”

“Traditional dispensationalist or Progressive dispensationalist?”

“Traditional dispensationalist.”

By this point, the man who had been threatening to jump was relaxing and beginning to step back from the brink.

The erstwhile rescuer then asked, “Open Communion or Closed Communion?”

“Closed Communion.”

With that, the man who had stopped to help gave him a shove and said, “Die, infidel.”

Truth is orthodoxy.

Let’s establish that God is true, as is attested repeatedly throughout the Word.

“Whoever receives [Jesus’] testimony sets his seal to this, that */God is true/*” [*John 3:33*].

Paul speaks of the Lord God as “the Living and True God” [*1 Thessalonians 1:9*].

Moreover, in his first letter, the Apostle John identifies Jesus as “the True God and Eternal Life” [*1 John 5:20*].

For a brief moment, focus on that singular verse which states, “We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.

He is the true God and eternal life” [*1 John 5:20*].

It is obvious that John speaks of God as true, but that last affirmation has created controversy from earliest days.

The Arians, who denied the Triune God, attempted to evade the impact of John’s words, but, clearly he wrote of Jesus.

The word behind “He” is */hôutos/*, or “this one” (the nearest one just mentioned).

Therefore, John is referring to Jesus Christ.

John was unequivocally testifying that Jesus is the True God.

He was affirming the deity of Jesus, just as he had earlier affirmed Jesus humanity [see *1 John 4:1-6*].

I know that there are scholars who argue that John is saying that the Father is the true God.

These scholars argue that since Jesus testified in His high priestly prayer [see *John 17:3*], “This is eternal life, that they know You the Only True God,” then John would not say that the Son of God is the Only True God here.

However, such an argument is redundant, for then John has said that the Son of God has given us understanding “so that we know God who is true … He is the true God.”

They are forced to admit that such wording is highly artificial and fails to hold to the Greek that John employed.

Calvin, in his commentary on this letter, wrote of this verse: “Though the Arians have attempted to elude this passage, and some agree with them at this day, yet we have here a remarkable testimony to the divinity of Christ.

The Arians apply this passage to the Father, as though the Apostle should again repeat that he is the true God.

But nothing could be more frigid than such a repetition.

He has already twice testified that the true God is he who has been made known to us in Christ, why should he again add, /This is the true God?/

It applies, indeed, most suitably to Christ; for after having taught us that Christ is the guide by whose hand we are led to God, he now, by way of amplifying, affirms that Christ is that God, lest we should think that we are to seek further; and he confirms this view by what is added, /and eternal life/.

It is doubtless the same that is spoken of, as being the true God and eternal life.