How does 3 John 1:1 connect with other scriptures about love and truth?

Text of 3 John 1:1

“The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:”

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Love and Truth Woven Together

- Love (agapē) reflects God’s self-giving character (1 John 4:7-9).

- Truth (alētheia) is absolute reality revealed in Christ (John 14:6).

- In Scripture these are never rivals; they complete each other (1 Corinthians 13:6).

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Parallel Uses in John’s Writings

• 2 John 1:1 – “whom I love in truth” (same greeting, same emphasis).

• 1 John 3:18 – “let us love… in action and truth.”

• John 1:14 – Jesus is “full of grace and truth,” source of both virtues.

• John 17:17 – “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth,” grounding love in God’s word.

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New Testament Echoes

• Ephesians 4:15 – “speaking the truth in love,” the growth path for the church.

• Philippians 1:9-10 – love abounds “in knowledge and every discernment,” keeping affection clear-eyed.

• Colossians 1:4-5 – faith and love spring from “the word of truth, the gospel.”

• 1 Peter 1:22 – purified souls “in obedience to the truth” now “love one another deeply.”

• Psalm 85:10 – “loving devotion and truth have joined together,” a prophetic pattern fulfilled in Christ and mirrored in John’s greeting.

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Living Out the Union of Love and Truth

- Orthodoxy fuels true affection; relationship is built on shared reality, not mere sentiment.

- Love guards truth from coldness; truth guards love from compromise.

- Every Christian greeting, ministry effort, and act of hospitality (themes of 3 John) should carry this double imprint: heartfelt love anchored in unchanging truth.