What is the meaning of 3 John 1:4? I have no greater joy John opens his statement with an unmistakable declaration of delight. He is not talking about a mild smile, but about the highest human satisfaction he can name. • Scripture shows this same heart in other servants of God. Paul wrote, “For now we live, if you are standing firm in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 3:8). • Likewise, the wisdom writer says, “The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice” (Proverbs 23:24). • Heaven itself echoes this emotion: “There is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). John’s joy springs from witnessing tangible evidence of spiritual health, not from personal comfort or position. than to hear John’s knowledge of the situation comes by report. The verb hints at ongoing news—he keeps hearing good things. • Testimony matters; a faithful reputation travels (cf. 3 John 1:3). • Paul experienced similar encouragement when “Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love” (1 Thessalonians 3:6). • Reliable witnesses confirm whether a walk matches one’s words (Proverbs 25:25). John gladly receives these reports because they validate that the gospel he taught is bearing fruit. that my children Here “children” are spiritual sons and daughters—believers whose faith John helped nurture. • Paul used the same family language: “I became your father through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). • He treated the Thessalonians “as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to walk in a manner worthy of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). • Scripture repeatedly portrays the church as a household (Ephesians 2:19). John’s paternal tone underscores both affection and responsibility; he longs for their maturity as any father would. are walking in the truth The climax is not that they merely know the truth but that they are living it. • Earlier John wrote, “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth” (2 John 1:4). • Genuine faith always moves the feet: “If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light…we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:6-7). • “I, the LORD, have walked in faithfulness” sets God’s own pattern (Psalm 26:3). Walking indicates continuous, habitual action. “The truth” is not a shifting concept but the unchanging revelation of God in Christ (John 14:6). To walk in it is to conform daily choices, relationships, and attitudes to that revelation. summary John’s exclamation in 3 John 1:4 flows from a shepherd’s heart: nothing thrills him more than hearing that those he loves are consistently living out the gospel they believe. The report of their faithful walk confirms the power of God’s Word, validates John’s ministry, and models the goal for every believer—ongoing, obedient life in the unchanging truth of Scripture. |
    |