The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary 3 John 1

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3 Juan 1:1

El mayor al amado Cayo, a quien amo en verdad.

(a) El viejo y el autor de esta carta fue muy probablemente el apóstol Juan, aunque algunos lo disputan (ver entrada for 2 John 1:1).

(b) Amado es una de las palabras favoritas de John. Lo usa cuatro veces en esta breve epístola y seis veces en la primera. La palabra original (quedaría boquiabierto) significa muy amado, estimado, favorito y captura el corazón de Dios por ti (ver entrada for 1 John 2:7).

(C) Cayo was a common Roman name and there were several Gaiuses in the New Testament. This particular Gaius was a close friend of John. Because of what John says in 3 John 1:4, it seems that he had led Gaius to the Lord. According to church tradition, he may have led the church in Pergamum.

(d) a quien amo en verdad or with authentic Christian love (2 John 1:1).

3 Juan 1:2

Amado, oro para que tú seas prosperado en todo y tengas buena salud, así como prospera tu alma.

(a) Amado; ver entrada for 1 John 2:7.

(b) rezo; ver entrada for 1 John 5:14.

(C) Con todo respeto o todas las cosas. La gracia no es sólo para los domingos. El favor de Dios debe tocar cada parte de nuestras vidas: nuestra salud, matrimonios, familias, amistades, negocios y nuestras actividades diarias.

(d) Prosperar. Your heavenly Father doesn’t want you sick and poor. His will is for you to prosper and be in good health physically, mentally, and spiritually. We should have no doubt about this, yet tradition has taught us to doubt God’s good heart toward us. How much better if we agreed with the psalmist: “The Lord is great and he delights in the prosperity of his servant” (Ps. 35:27, TPT).

John had been with Jesus. He saw Jesus heal the sick and feed the hungry. He knew Jesus did not come merely to teach but to bless us and prosper us in every way (Eph. 1:3).

3 Juan 1:3

Porque me alegré mucho cuando vinieron los hermanos y dieron testimonio de vuestra verdad, es decir, de cómo andáis en la verdad.

(a) me alegré mucho. John was pleased to hear that Gaius was walking in grace. He had not fallen from grace, like a Galatian (Gal. 5:4), or drifted from the love of God like an Ephesian (Rev. 2:4), but he was growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18). This made John happy.

(b) caminando en verdad. Continuing in the grace of God; see 2 John 1:4.

3 Juan 1:4

No tengo mayor gozo que este: oír que mis hijos caminan en la verdad.

(a) No hay mayor alegría. Nothing made John happier than to see his spiritual children growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Paul said something similar about the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:20).

(b) Mis hijos refers to those John had fathered or mentored in the Lord. Gaius, the recipient of this letter, was probably mentored by John.

3 Juan 1:5–6

Amados, estáis actuando fielmente en todo lo que hacéis para los hermanos, y especialmente cuando son extraños; y han dado testimonio de tu amor delante de la iglesia. Harás bien en enviarlos a su camino de una manera digna de Dios.

(a) Interino fielmente. Juan elogia a Gayo por mostrar hospitalidad a los ministros o misioneros que habían sido enviados o avalados por Juan. Le anima a seguir siendo generoso con los ministros y misioneros itinerantes.

(b) Whatever you accomplish for the brethren. Anything you have done for them is appreciated.

(d) They have testified to your love before the church. The itinerant ministers publicly praised Gaius for his hospitality. They may have done this in the church in Ephesus where, according to the early Church Fathers, John was the pastor for a time.

(mi) Envíalos por su camino de una manera digna de Dios.. In other words, don’t let them go empty handed, but give them something for their needs (Rom. 15:27, 1 Cor. 9:11).

3 Juan 1:7

Porque salieron por causa del Nombre, sin aceptar nada de los gentiles.

(a) Salieron into the world bearing the gospel of Jesus.

(b) Por el bien del Nombre. For 2000 years, men and women have gone abroad for the sake of the Name, meaning they have gone to tell people the good news, so that others might believe in the Name of the Son (1 John 3:23). They have done this because Jesus has a Name that is above all names (Php. 2:9). Like the Ephesians who endured for his Name’s sake (Rev. 2:3) and the Pergamenes who held fast to his Name (Rev. 2:13), they knew there was no other Name by which we can be saved (Act 2:21).

(C) Los gentiles. Those who proclaimed the gospel to the Gentiles asked for no support lest they be accused of being spiritual mercenaries. (Unlike the Jews who had a long tradition of tithing to support the Levites, the Gentiles were unaccustomed to supporting ministers.) For this reason, those who preached the gospel either received support from others in the church (see next verse) or were self-supporting tent-makers (Acts 18:3, 20:34).

3 Juan 1:8

Por eso debemos apoyar a tales hombres, para que seamos colaboradores de la verdad..

(a) Deberíamos apoyar a hombres así. and women who make it their occupation to tell people the good news. Since the world does not recognize and provide for those who preach the gospel (1 John 3:1), those in the church need to take care of them. See also the entrada for 1 Cor. 9:14.

(b) Para que seamos colaboradores de la verdad. Apoyar a quienes predican el evangelio es una forma de compartir su trabajo y quienes lo hacen comparten las recompensas de ese trabajo.

Otras lecturas: "Recompensados por su trabajo"

3 Juan 1:9

Le escribí algo a la iglesia; pero Diótrefes, a quien le gusta ser el primero entre ellos, no acepta lo que decimos.

(a) Le escribí algo a la iglesia. Es posible que Juan haya escrito una breve carta a la iglesia de la que Gayo era miembro. Si es así, la carta se ha perdido en la historia. Quizás fue destruido por Diótrefes.

(b) Diotrephes. In contrast with hospitable Gaius, arrogant Diotrephes refused to recognize the authority of John or receive those he sent (see next verse). He rejected John’s message and preached another gospel.

3 Juan 1:10

Por esto, si vengo, llamaré la atención sobre las obras que hace, acusándonos injustamente con malas palabras; y no contento con esto, tampoco él mismo recibe a los hermanos, y a los que así lo desean, se lo prohíbe y los expulsa de la iglesia.

(a) “For this reason” was one of Jesus’s favorite sayings, and one adopted here by John. See entrada for Matt. 6:25.

(b) Si yo vengo. John may have been hindered from traveling on account of his age or exile on Patmos. Even though he preferred to engage with people face to face (2 John 1:12, 3 John 1:14), he was forced to write letters – and we should be glad he was!

(C) Llamaré la atención sobre sus obras.. Diótrefes era una figura divisiva dentro de la comunidad de la iglesia. Dado que Juan proclamó el evangelio puro de la gracia, parece que Diótrefes promovió la ley o las obras muertas. John tenía la intención de denunciarlo sobre esto la próxima vez que lo visitara.

(d) Acusándonos injustamente con malas palabras. Like Jesus and the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 4:13), John was slandered for preaching grace. Sadly, this unjust practice continues today. Preach grace and you’ll be labelled licentious, anti-law and a closet sinner. You’ll be dismissed for preaching radical or hyper-grace, as though that were a bad thing, and your words will be taken out of context and used against you.

(mi) He himself does not receive the brethren. At one end of the hospitality scale was generous Gaius; at the other, was Diotrephes. Gaius opened his home to ministers sent by John, but Diotrephes shut them out.

(F) Los saca de la iglesia. Not only did Diotrephes scorn John’s friends, he punished anyone who showed them hospitality. Embrace the message of grace and those who preach it and you risk being marginalized by the self-righteous.

Otras lecturas: "El alto costo de la gracia gratuita".

3 Juan 1:11

Amados, no imitéis el mal, sino el bien. El que hace el bien es de Dios; el que hace el mal no ha visto a Dios.

(a) Amado; ver entrada for 1 John 2:7.

(b) no imites or follow what is evil means don’t follow anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ (2 John 1:9). Don’t listen to those who diminish the cross or put price tags on grace. Don’t heed those who promote self-trust and dead works. Don’t pay attention to those who would distract you from Jesus.

(C) ¿Qué es el mal? lo que es bueno. In the new covenant, good and evil are not defined in terms of keeping or breaking some moral code, but are defined in response to what God has asked us to do, namely, believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23).

From the beginning, God has asked nothing more than we trust him. Those who trust him are said to be “born of God” (1 John 5:1), while those who reject him are “evil-doers” (Luke 13:27). Like Cain “who was of the evil one,” their evil deeds belie a self-righteous and unbelieving heart that scorns the grace of God (see entrada for 1 John 3:12).

(d) El que hace el bien. No hacemos el bien para ser buenos; Hacemos el bien porque nacemos de Dios y nuestro Padre es bueno (ver entrada for 1 John 5:18). Incidentally this is the only time John mentions “doing good” in his epistles. He is far more likely to encourage his readers to believe in Jesus and love another. See also John 5:29.

(e)Tel que hace el mal. Those who scorn the Son of God and hate their brothers are unacquainted with the love of the Father (see 1 John 3:23–24).

3 Juan 1:12

Demetrio ha recibido buen testimonio de todos, y de la verdad misma; y añadimos nuestro testimonio, y sabéis que nuestro testimonio es verdadero.

(a) Demetrio Era un ministro avalado por John y reconocido por aquellos en la iglesia como un buen tipo. ¿Por qué mencionarlo? Probablemente porque fue él quien llevó esta carta a Cayo. También hay alguna evidencia histórica que sugiere que Demetrio dirigió la iglesia en Filadelfia (ver entrada for Rev. 3:7).

(b) From the truth itself. The Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Spirit of Truth is evident in his life.

(d) You know that our testimony is true. You know who I am. You know I wouldn’t send you someone who is false

3 Juan 1:13

Tenía muchas cosas que escribiros, pero no estoy dispuesto a escribirlas con pluma y tinta;

(a) tengo muchas cosas que escribirte. John has much more to say but will save it until he sees Gaius in person (see 3 John 1:14).

(b) no estoy dispuesto a escribirlos. As he indicated at the end of his second epistle, John was a reluctant writer (2 John 1:12).

3 Juan 1:14

pero espero verte pronto y hablaremos cara a cara. La paz sea con vosotros. Los amigos te saludan. Saluda a los amigos por su nombre.

(un) Face to face. John preferred face-to-face conversation to letter writing (2 John 1:12).

(b) Greet the friends by name. At the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul greets nearly 30 people by name. John doesn’t greet anyone by name but asks Gaius to do it for him. “You know them better than me.”

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3 Juan 1