Who wrote the book of 3 John? Who was the author of 3 John?

The Third Epistle is addressed by the elder, the aged Apostle John, to a brother by name of Gaius. A Gaius is mentioned in Acts 19:29, 20:4, Romans 16:23 and 1 Corinthians 1:14. It is impossible to say whether this is the same. John calls him well-beloved, whom he loved in the truth. Thus he emphasizes the truth once more as he had done before. He wishes that he might prosper in his body, in health, as even his soul prospered. He had heard from the brethren who testified of the truth in him and that he walked in the truth. He rejoiced in this and declares "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." And this is not only the aged apostle's joy, but it is the joy of the Lord. How He must rejoice when His beloved children in whom He dwells walk in truth! Gaius had been very gracious and hospitable. Perhaps the brethren who gave such a good report to John were the recipients of Gaius's kindness. They had witnessed before the assembly how faithful he was in entertaining them, helping them on their journey in every way possible. He had done this not only with the brethren in his locality, but with brethren who were strangers, ministering servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, who went forth for His Name's sake, taking nothing of the Gentiles. In going forth in ministering the Word they depended on the Lord.

That God should have chosen John to be His channel for the closing volume of the New Testament is worthy of our consideration, and need surprise none. His heart, filled with the love of Christ and with a deep sense of His personal glory, made him a suited vessel for the Holy Spirit's communication of his Gospel, his Epistles, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ. No doubt many Johns were on earth, not a few of them in the church of God, yet none but one was entitled to introduce himself as he does in Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; Revelation 22:8. It was not only the John who was in Patmos, but who could say, "I came to be" (ἐγενόμην) there for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. The emperor who exiled him dreamt not of the divine purpose. But could it apply to any John but one? The foundation was laid in his Gospel; and there he only appears as the disciple whom Jesus loved. It was enough: who could dispute the hand that wrote it? The Epistles suppose his Gospel already written; the fuller one allows no name but the Name above every name; yet is the tone throughout that of the beloved disciple unmistakably. To the shorter pair he prefixes "the elder" respectively to the elect lady and her children, and to Gauis the beloved. Do we need more to discern the writer? But it was due to a prophetic book, above all one so profound and lofty and far-reaching, that the name of him that wrote it should be given, yet with a simplicity and a dignity all his own, a wondrous reflex of the Lord Jesus in His servant.

This is exactly what Satan was there and then attempting by the many antichrists, and it is what accounts for the extraordinary appeal of the Holy Spirit in this Epistle. "The elder," says the apostle. Thus does he descend from the first place in the church of God, which he was fully entitled to fill, but love instinctively takes the more excellent way, and here the Holy Spirit inspired it for the special need. So the apostle Paul did now and then; and so did our apostle in all his Epistles. It is thus we have God teaching us even by the smallest change in scripture, by everything said and by everything not said, something more perfectly than in any other way. Hence we may not doubt that there was a particular wise and worthy reason why the apostle John should introduce himself under the name of "elder," rather than apostle, both to the elect lady and to the beloved Gaius.

The Author's name is not mentioned. This feature characterizes also the first and third Epistles, yet in each case there can be no doubt that John is the writer. The style is identical, agreeing also with the Gospel that bears his name. It is quite remarkable that not once does John mention his own name in his writings, save in the Revelation. Yet there is something very fitting in this. His Gospel and Epistles deal with such a transcendent theme — God revealed in One, who was no less than "the Son of the Father" — that the human writer is not noticed in the glory of that light.

John emphasizes in both these epistles how he appreciated his spiritual children (and we certainly can apply it to literal children as well) walking in truth. As parents, this is one of the things we appreciate about our children, and it is one of the griefs of heart of many parents when their children are not walking in truth. John speaks of those to whom he stood in relationship as an older one. He does not speak of His apostolic authority here, he wrote the epistles as "the elder".

In the third Epistle of John, consisting of only fourteen verses, these names—Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius appear. Covering the whole Epistle, there is the exhortation to follow the good and refuse the evil. “He that does good, is of God; but he that does evil, has not seen God” (v. 11). We shall find this strikingly exemplified, as we examine what is said of these three men.

John did not address his Epistle as being from an apostle, but as from an elder, writing to his well-beloved Gaius, rejoicing greatly that he was walking in the truth. How very prominent in this short Epistle are the references to the truth, since that lay very near to the heart of the writer. And well it might, for if every believer walked in the truth, what a mighty change there would be in Christendom—spiritual reality taking the place of empty ritualism and superstition; Christian brethren, finding it good and pleasant to dwell together in unity, instead of the ceaseless clash of warring tongues.

In these two short epistles the author introduces himself as the “elder” (Greek presbyteros). This term hardly describes the office of an elder in the assembly for it was generally restricted to a certain place or locality. See section on elders in Elders, in First Epistle to Timothy .

Here we have the fact that to the "well-beloved Gaius" the apostle writes with this intent. He loved him also in the truth. Whether it was the elect lady and her children, or the well-beloved Gaius, it is all the same thing. It was not because of his hospitality, but "whom I love in the truth." No doubt the apostle did much value his generosity and care; but even in matters wholly different from those of his second Epistle, the distinguishing feature which presses on his soul was this: — "whom I love in the truth." "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." He was not indifferent even as to the bodily well-being of Gaius. The Holy Ghost thus inspires him to write it. It is not a private letter, nor was it an uninspired codicil added to what was inspired; but here it stands in a genuine apostolic epistle, written by John the elder to his brother. He wished that he might prosper and be in health, even as his soul prospered. "For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." It was sweet to the apostle to hear such a testimony to the steadfastness of Gaius in the truth, as it was to hear of all he loved.

John again takes up his pen to write a brief letter to the well-beloved Gaius. Like the previous epistle to the elect lady, this is brief enough to have been sent out on a single leaf of papyrus. Again, an urgent matter had arisen in John's pastoral sphere that required prompt attention. He expected to visit Gaius soon. Since Gaius was among the more common names in the first century Roman world, it is perhaps best not to rush into attempting to identify the recipient of this epistle with those of the same name in Acts 19:29, Acts 20:4 or 1 Corinthians 1:14. The Gaius of Romans 16:23 is described by Paul as “mine host”. John's well-beloved friend certainly knew something of the privilege of exercising Christian hospitality. John's affection for him was sincere. The truth was the sphere in which their mutual affection flourished.