3 John 1:10

8 We therefore ought to ^areceive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.

10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, ^aprating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

11 Beloved, ^ado not imitate what is evil, but what is good. ^bHe who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen ^cGod.

12 Demetrius ^ahas a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also¹ bear witness, ^band you know that our testimony is true.

Farewell Greeting

13 ^aI had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink;

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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3 John 1:10

If I come, I will remember - I will show him the authority which, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, I possess.

Prating against us - Diotrephes might have been a converted Jew, who was unwilling that the Gentiles should be received into the Church; or a Judaizing Christian, who wished to incorporate the law with the Gospel, and calumniated the apostles who taught otherwise. This haughty and unfeeling man would give no countenance to the converted Gentiles; so far from it, that he would not receive any of them himself, forbade others to do it, and excommunicated those who had been received into the Church by the apostles. This appears to be the meaning of neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the Church. He had the complete dog in the manger principle: he would neither do, nor let do; and when good was done that he did not approve, he endeavored to undo it.

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