Final Greetings

John put off writing more in the hopes of visiting personally, and offered greetings from those who were with him. John valued personal fellowship (cf. 2 John 1:12). Personal fellowship in this case was all the more intensified by the need to restore peace within the community of believers. Until John's arrival, Gaius was exhorted to greet at least those who were willing to receive John's goodwill. John wanted Gaius to greet all of his friends personally on his behalf.

Lenski's offers this truth, "This letter is a jewel from the pen of John; it is like its companion [2 John], and thus these two letters have been cherished by the church."

Once again, in this book we have seen magnificent scriptural truths that are consistent with the great cry of the Reformation:

Sola Fide (by faith alone)
Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone)
Solus Christus (through Christ alone)
Sola Gratia (by grace alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone)

see you soon. See note on 1 Jn. 12. John adds his concern for peace here (v. 15). friends. This word is only used here in the NT to talk about believers. At the same time, Jesus called his disciples his friends (see notes on Jn. 15:13-15). Jesus’ friends are those who obey his commandments. It is possible the early Christians called themselves the friends, but that is not clear. If friends here have to do with a group of Christians, it probably has to do with the Christians who are at the place where John is. These Christians could have borrowed the title friends from the Epicureans, who had philosophical communities that were made up of “friends.