Student - House of Judah

-74-
TWO GOOD EXAMPLES AND
ONE BAD ONE
STUDY 10
Scripture Portion: 3 John 1-14
In concluding this series of studies, we turn to John’s third epistle.
It would seem that the key verse of this short letter is -
3 John 11 -
Dr. Weymouth renders it -
‘Do not follow wrong examples but right ones: he that does what is right is a child of
God; he who does what is wrong has not seen God.
The letter is a private one in which we read of three characters: Gaius, Diotrephes and
Demetrius.
John tells us some exceedingly good things about Gaius and Demetrius, but in the
case of Diotrephes, he can only write of bad things.
Then comes the exhortation: ‘Follow the right examples’. In other words, do not
follow Diotrephes, but follow Gaius and Demetrius.
It is easily possible to follow the wrong examples. To do so is always fatal.
When we get absorbed with someone, we become like that person, for they influence
us. In turn, we influence others.
Here, then, we have pictures of three members of the church of long ago.
Let us look at them with the prayer in our hearts that God will give us grace to follow
the two good ones and not the bad one!
© Stephen Nemeth The Epistles of John, Study 10, Student Manual