Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 3 John 1:11

"Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: he that doeth evil hath not seen God." — 3 John 1:11 (ASV)

That the elder admonishes Gaius not to “imitate what is evil but what is good” need not imply that he fears for Gaius’s character. It is rather for his encouragement in continuing to do good. He may have expected Diotrephes and his supporters to exert intense pressure on Gaius to give up his support of the elder and his missionaries. In that event, Gaius would have no option but to take his stand on principle. To give in to pressure against one’s convictions is to submit to evil. Whatever its source or whoever its advocates, evil can never be reconciled to God. Even to contemplate giving in to evil means that loyalty to God’s revealed will in Scripture is jeopardized.

Why does the elder appeal to those who “imitate”? Because it is the nature of God’s revelation that truth (vv.1, 3), love (v.6), and righteousness (v.11) have been modeled first in Jesus Christ and then by those who are faithful to his commandments. We do not have innately a dependable standard by which to judge ourselves. We must always measure our understanding and actions by God himself, for whom love, truth, and righteousness are absolute attributes. In Christ these same attributes have become available to all who love God and desire to obey his commands. To show them forth in our lives proves that we are “from God.” All goodness proceeds from him; our perseverance in goodness demonstrates that in Jesus Christ we have seen God.