This page gives you questions and answers for studying 3 John 1, the shortest personal letter in the New Testament. The elder writes to Gaius, commends his hospitality to traveling believers, and warns against Diotrephes, a man who wants the first place in the church. The questions below work for a small group, a Sunday class, or a quiet study on your own. Each set moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how you might live it.
3 John 1 at a Glance
The letter opens with a warm greeting and a prayer for Gaius’s health and well-being, tied to the joy the elder has felt hearing that Gaius walks in the truth. Verses 5 through 8 praise Gaius for welcoming brothers who came as strangers, and encourage him to send them onward well. Verses 9 and 10 turn to a problem: Diotrephes has refused the elder’s earlier letter, slandered him, and shut out the traveling brothers from the church. Verses 11 and 12 close with a call to imitate good rather than evil, a commendation of Demetrius, and a promise of a visit soon.
Keep this flow in mind as you go through the questions, since the letter moves from praise to warning and back to encouragement in just fourteen verses.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to make sure everyone has read the text carefully before anyone offers an interpretation. Let people answer from the words on the page first, and save explanations for later.
3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.
(WEB)
This verse opens the letter with a prayer for Gaius’s health and prosperity, linked to the health of his soul. Reading it early sets a tone of genuine care and shows the group that the elder’s concern is personal as well as pastoral.
3 John 1:3-4
3 For I rejoiced greatly, when brothers came and testified about your truth, even as you walk in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear about my children walking in truth.
(WEB)
These verses explain the source of the elder’s joy: reports of others walking in the truth. Reading them together helps the group see that the letter is built around relationships and the good news of faithful lives.
3 John 1:5-8
5 Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you accomplish for those who are brothers and strangers. 6 They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a way worthy of God, 7 because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles. 8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
(WEB)
This passage holds the commendation of Gaius’s hospitality and the instruction to receive such brothers well. It is the heart of the letter’s practical teaching, so reading it slowly gives the group time to discuss what faithful welcome looks like.
3 John 1:9-10
9 I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say. 10 Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.
(WEB)
Here the letter turns to Diotrephes and his refusal to receive the brothers. Reading this passage aloud lets the group hear the specific charges, which makes the discussion of leadership, pride and accountability concrete rather than abstract.
3 John 1:11
Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.
(WEB)
This short verse is a clear call to imitate what is good rather than what is evil. Reading it on its own gives the group a memorable summary of the letter’s ethical challenge before the closing verses.
Memory Verse for 3 John 1
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for this short letter and for the reminder that faithfulness shows itself in ordinary places, like a home that opens its door and a heart that refuses to seek its own honor. Forgive us where we have wanted first place more than we have wanted to serve. Give us eyes to see the travelers and strangers you have placed near us, and hands ready to send them on well. Help us walk in the truth so that others can testify to our faithfulness with gladness. Strengthen each person here this week, and let our conversations and choices honor you. Amen.
