We have been learning from John the apostle about the importance of knowing the truth of God in love. He is writing to his well beloved Gaius in the book of Third John, and he has heard the testimony of others about Gaius that Gaius not only has the truth, but he is walking in it. Today we see the reaction of John to the news that Gaius walks in the truth in Third John verse four. John wrote:
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
In yesterday's verse we saw where John “rejoiced greatly” when he heard the news about Gaius. Today we notice that John goes to even greater lengths to express how much it means to him to hear good news about his “children” in the faith. John says he “has no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth”. We should remember the reason for John writing to Gaius is that itinerant prophets we traveling and spreading false teachings about following Jesus Christ. Judaizers were saying that people can believe in Jesus but they must also follow the law. Gnostics were saying that Jesus was a phantom, and because everything material is evil, Jesus could not have been a man. These false prophets would deceive many believers, and they would begin to fall away from the truth. John heard the testimony of Gaius that is quite contrary to the testimonies he has been hearing about those who were deceived. This causes John to rejoice and proclaim how he has no greater joy than to hear that his children of the faith walk in truth.
As we recall, John the apostle is older, probably near ninety years old, and many years have passed since Jesus returned to Heaven. John's concern for the church was that they were being removed from the faith by these itinerant false teachers. What about us? Are we as enthusiastic as we once were about serving Jesus Christ? Do we speak with the same fervor about our walk with God as we once did? Are we beginning to believe the false teaching of the day that proclaims that “all roads lead to God”, and that believing that Jesus is the only way, truth and life is “out-dated”?
Perhaps as we examine our own lives we may do so under the wonder if John the apostle were to hear testimony about us today, would he be experiencing the same joy that he did of Gaius? We might even suppose that if John the apostle has no greater joy than to hear that his children walk in truth, then it may have caused him no greater sadness than when they didn't. We must walk in the truth as Gaius did, and when we do our lives will bring other believers no greater joy just as Gaius did for John.
Next time we will examine what John says about faithful doing, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
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