Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 3 John 1:3

"For I rejoiced greatly, when brethren came and bare witness unto thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth." — 3 John 1:3 (ASV)

Behind this verse we see the flow of Christians between the early churches. This flow may have been occasioned in some instances by a change in personal circumstances and in others because of opposition and persecution. However, it may have been more intentional than this and may have represented, particularly among the Johannine churches, a commitment to live as a fellowship of Christians deeply concerned for one another.

Traveling missionaries and evangelists probably swelled the ranks of those who moved back and forth. Yet it is too much to read into the term “brothers” an exclusive reference to them. There was obviously a lively flow of persons between the church where Gaius was a member and the elder’s community. Moreover, these men appear to be reporting to the elder as a normal and expected activity. They tell him about Gaius’s faithfulness to Christian truth as well as about his sincerity and faithfulness in his daily living. In vv.5–8 the elder specifies the conduct he has in mind. Nowhere in this letter, however, does he refer to the theological issue before the church.