3 John 1111Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. The one who does good is from God. The one who does evil has not seen God.
John now applies his examples to Gaius as an exhortation. The verb imitate is the first imperative in the letter and stands out as the central goal of why John wrote the letter. This verse gives the simple response Gaius ought to give when he received this letter. John has set out the two paths people take: 1) selflessness—praise and reinforcement for how Gaius has acted by following the way of truth and love by showing hospitality, and 2) selfishness—blame for how Diotrephes has refused to help the traveling brothers and caused many problems in the church by pushing his agenda. John applies this directly to Gaius by his repeated address of Beloved. John loved Gaius and wanted him to show love to others and not follow the way of the world where people fight for first place.
The two choices are given clearly in the two words evil and good. How a person acts proves his or her relationship to God. The one who truly abides in God and follows the truth of God will show this by loving actions. Walking in the way of truth should be evident in the ways a person loves. Although Jesus is not specifically mentioned in this letter, only the reference to the “name” in verse 7, he is the one to imitate (1 Corinthians 11:1). Not showing love to others shows a serious spiritual problem. A barrier exists between God and that person. Self is usually the biggest problem we face. Most relationship issues can be traced back to someone trying to be first.