Demetrius has a good testimony from
all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our
testimony is true.
3 John 1:12
Dear Heavenly
Father, we have family struggling. They
need you desperately. Please show Your
face. Bring them closer to You. Lord save them. Continue to be with me as I study
tonight. I praise and glorify Your
name! In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.
We are in the
Conclusion/Farewell portion of the letter.
To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key
words and their companion or similar verses.
"Demetrius"
in the Greek is Demetrius which means
devoted to Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain, agriculture, harvest, growth,
and nourishment. "Good
Testimony" in the Greek is martureo
which means witness, testify, give evidence, give a good report, attested, to
utter honorable testimony, well reported of, accredited, commendation, speak
well or highly of. 1 Timothy 3:7 states
"Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest
he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." John 21:24 states "This is the disciple
who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his
testimony is true." John contrasts
the actions of Diotrephes with Demetrius.
John reminds his readers that Demetrius testimony is proved by tangible evidence.
"All" in
the Greek is pas which means every kind
of the whole, focusses on the parts making up the whole. "Truth" in the Greek is aletheia which means not merely truth as
spoken, truth of idea, reality, fact, not an illusion, sincerity, truth in the
moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness, standard of
God's word. Demetrius is known for his
Godly life as demonstrated by real facts and told by everyone. It
is undeniable.
"Know" in
the Greek is eido which means remember,
appreciate, I see what you mean, perceiving, seeing that becomes knowing,
discern, behold. "True" in the
Greek is alethes which means
unconcealed, true in fact, worthy of credit, what can't be hidden, an actual
occurrence. John points out that he and
his disciples also have proven Demetrius' tested and true confession of his
faith and obedience to God.
One of the companion verses for this text comes from 1
Timothy. The citation is part of Paul's
description of church leadership.
However, as Christians, we are all called to this standard. In our Scripture tonight, John identifies
Demetrius's walk as God honoring by comparing it to the truth spoken from him
and his disciples along with God's standard that describes Demetrius.
So, what is God's standard. What is this good testimony that will keep us
from reproach and the snare of the devil?
Our life needs to be innocent of wrongdoing, be committed to family,
have self control over temptations, be logical, do the right thing, be
welcoming, be a mentor, not love money, and be humble in all things. Let me just say that is impossible! Ah, but what did Demetrius have or how could
he have this good testimony? He has what
all believers in Christ have, God's helper, the Holy Spirit. When you cease control over your life and
follow the Holy Spirit's direction, you will have a "good
testimony." We may fail, but we
will never lose.
Demetrius has received a good testimony and commendation from everyone—and from the truth [the
standard of God’s word] itself; and we add our testimony and speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
Amplified Bible
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