They have testified to the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.
Parallel translations
- WEB They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a way worthy of God,
- KJV Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:
- NKJV who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,
- NASB and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.
- NLT They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
These travelers publicly praised Gaius's love before the church, and John urges him to keep helping them on their way 'worthy of God.' Supporting gospel workers is a sacred service done as unto God.
Overview
To 'send forward on their journey' meant equipping missionaries with what they needed to continue, a recognized form of partnership in ministry. John says this should be done in a manner 'worthy of God,' that is, reflecting God's own generous character. Such support makes ordinary believers true partners in advancing the gospel of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Th 2:12encouraging you, comforting you, and urging you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
- Acts 15:3Sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.
- Titus 3:13Do your best to equip Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they will have everything they need.
- Phlm 1:5–7because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
- Col 1:10so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
- Rom 15:24I hope to see you on my way to Spain. And after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can equip me for my journey.
- Phil 4:14Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction.
- Gen 4:7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”
- 2 Cor 1:16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and then to have you help me on my way to Judea.
- Acts 21:5But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
- Matt 25:21–23His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
- Acts 15:29You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
- 1 Pet 2:20How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
- 3 Jn 1:12Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.
- Jonah 4:4But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Faithful love shown for the sake of 'the Name' is service rendered to Christ, who is the truth in which his people walk.
How 3 John 1:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.