Walk in the Truth

In his third epistle, John encourages his “children” to walk in the truth. What does this mean? How can we walk in the truth?

Scripture:       

Jeremiah, chapters 50-51; 3 John

3 John (NASB):

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 overjoyed when brothers 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. Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brothers and sisters, 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 people, so that we may prove to be fellow workers with the truth.

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 malicious words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brothers either, and he forbids those who want 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 what is good is of God; the one who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we testify too, and you know that our testimony is true. I had many things to write to you, but I do not want to write 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.

Observations: Walk in the Truth

This short book on the New Testament is entitled “The Third Letter of John.” However, Bible scholars disagree about which “John” wrote it. Traditionally, the Apostle John was considered to have written the Gospel of John, the three epistles, and the Revelation. Modern scholarship suggests that these books have different writers. I don’t want to get too much “into the weeds” on this subject. What is important is what these books say, not who wrote them. After all, if “all Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16), then God ultimately “wrote” them. Because God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), the actual words are true, no matter who the human author was. (For simplicity, I’ll refer to that human author as “John.”)

In verses 3-4, John rejoices that his readers are “walking in truth.” What exactly does that mean? To put it simply, it means that they were following the example of Jesus and living in accordance with God’s Word. In John’s Gospel, Jesus told His disciples to “remain in Me” (John 15:4). He said that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments (John 14:15). He promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us in truth and remind us what Jesus taught us (John 14:26). Everything that Jesus did and taught show us how we are to live. That is what it means to “walk in truth.”

Walking in the Truth Sometimes Leads to Confrontation

In the second part of this passage, John points out our responsibility to support those who proclaim the truth. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may prove to be fellow workers with the truth. I don’t think John is limiting this “support” to financial support. Encouragement, hospitality, friendship, and joining our voices to theirs are all ways to support our fellow believers who walk in the truth and proclaim the truth.

However, we need to be very careful what “truth” we’re supporting and proclaiming. Too many people have crafted their own version of the truth – placing too much emphasis on some passages of Scripture and ignoring others. If we’re not careful, we end up “creating God in our image.” In other words, we decide what we want the truth to be, and then focus only on those passages that support “our” truth. But if all Scripture is inspired by God (and it is!), then we need to be careful to embrace all of it.

Unfortunately, embracing all of God’s truth will sometimes create conflict. “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Embracing the truth will cause “conflict” in us, as God addresses ares for growth. And as we walk in the truth, God’s word will sometimes cause confrontation with those who are not walking in the truth.

Diotrephes

John singles out Diotrephes, an apparent leader in the group in “the church.” First, he notes that Diotrephes loves to be first among them. It should go without saying that this attitude is contrary to both Jesus’ teaching and His example.

• “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in high position exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to be prominent among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
• “You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and you are correct, for so I am. So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you” (John 13:13-15).
• “And they [the scribes and Pharisees] love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people; but as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for only One is your leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest of you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:6-12).

Diotrephes self-orientation caused him to refuse John’s teaching (verse 9). Further, he unjustly accuses us with malicious words (v 10). Third, he does not receive the brothers either – refusing to accept those with whom he did not agree. Finally, he forbids those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Evidently, Diotrephes acted as though he was in charge of the church – rather than the Lord of the Church.

Walking in the Truth Means Imitating Good, not Evil

John turns his focus back to his “children” (see verse 4) by encouraging them to do not imitate what is evil, but what is good (v 11). John’s first letter sets forth specific explanations of how we do this:

• “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3)
• “The one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6)
• “The one who says that he is in the Light and yet hates his brother or sister is in darkness until now” (1 John 2:9)
• “Do not love the world nor the things in the world” (1 John 2:15)
• “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also has been born of Him” (1 John 2:29)
• “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness…No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him” (1 John 3:4-6)
• “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16)

Application: Walk in the Truth

So what does it mean for us today to walk in the truth? How can we imitate what is good, rather than what is evil Basically, I think we need to constantly compare our attitudes and our actions with those of Jesus. Am I seeking to serve myself, or Him? Do I serve others as a reflection of my love for both Him and them? Am I motivated by what I want, or what is best for Christ and His kingdom? That’s what it means to imitate what is good.

On the other hand, we need to be careful about imitating others. We are not to be “of the world.” The traits and priorities that the world values are not kingdom values. “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, 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” (Galatians 5:19-21, emphasis added).

“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 crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well” (Galatians 5:22-25). That is what it means to walk in the truth!

Prayer:

Father, we confess that it is easy for us to adopt the attitudes and mannerisms of the world. Guard our hearts against selfish desires. Protect us from seeking to “be first.” Remind us that Jesus set an example for us. Help us to imitate what is good, not what is evil.

When we walk in the truth, we will sometimes face conflict and confrontation. In those situations, help us to model the love and attitude of Jesus. Help us to fix our eyes on Him, rather than on those people and things that the world applauds. Amen.

What do you think it means to “walk in the truth”? How can we imitate what is good and reject what is evil? I’d’ love to hear your thoughts!