S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Several men in the New Testament share the name Gaius, a common name in the first century. All of these men were involved in the ministry of the apostles in one way or another. Gaius of Corinth. Pa...

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October 03 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

I will only describe the Gaius of 3 John.

Gaius is called “beloved” by “the elder” and is whom John (the Elder) truly loved. V.1 
(Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)). In fact, everyone loved Gaius according to the Voice Translation of 3 John 1:1 -- ”I, the elder, to Gaius, who is much loved by all and loved in truth by me.”

John here is praying for his good health v.2:

John commends Gaius for his "faithfulness," v. 5 -- "BDAG 821 s.v. πιστός 1.b offers the translation “act loyally” for this context, a usage which is not common but does fit well here. Since the author is going to ask Gaius for additional help for these missionaries in the following verse, he begins here by commending Gaius for all that he has already done in this regard." (BDAG stands for A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, commonly known by the initials of its key editors: Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich. It is a standard reference work for New Testament Greek.) bible.org

The way that Harold Wilmington describes Gaiu's "faithfulness" in his praise of Gaius is alliterated: 

1. He has been faithful to God's message (3 John 1:3-4).
2. He has been faithful to God's messengers (3 Jn 1:5-8): Gaius has rendered much loving help to traveling teachers and missionaries.

Gaius welcomed the traveling missionaries into his home in support of their gospel mission, but another church member, Diotrophes, would not do so but even kicked those church members out of church for disagreeing with him. 

Gaius is cautioned by John the Apostle not to follow (or, “imitate”) Diotrephes’ evil ways but to follow God instead. Literally, he is not to imitate what is evil but imitate the good.

This is how Herbert Lockyer described Gaius: "The godly man to whom John sent his third epistle (3 John 1). It is evident that the Apostle of Love had a deep affection for this saint he called 'the wellbeloved.' It would seem as if John had at sometime led him to Christ (3 John 4). John desired the material, physical and spiritual prosperity of Gaius (3 John 2, 3). The apostle also commended him for his faithful care of ministering brethren—a responsibility some seem to neglect these days (3 John 5-8).”

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