Volume 5
Colossians - The Revelation
By John Nelson Darby
The third epistle encourages the
believer to the exercise of
hospitality, whether towards the
known brethren or strangers, and
to all benevolent care in
furthering their journey when
departing, provided that they
come with the truth and for the
truth's sake without salary or
provision. Gaius received them,
as it appears, and was helpful
to them both in his own house
and on their journey. Diotrephes,
on the contrary, did not love
these strangers, who went about,
it is said, without a formal
mission and without any visible
means of subsistence. They had
gone forth for the Lord's sake
and had received nothing from
the Gentiles. If they in reality
came out of love to that name,
one did well to receive them.
Again the apostle insists on the
truth, as characterising real
love: "Whom I love in the
truth," he says to Gaius. He
rejoiced when the brethren
(those, I imagine, whom Gaius
had received into his house and
helped on their journey)
testified of the truth that was
in him, as in effect he walked
in the truth. The apostle had no
greater joy than that of hearing
that his children walked in the
truth. In receiving those who
went forth to preach the truth,
they helped the truth itself;
they were co-workers with it.
Diotrephes would have nothing to
do with this; he not only
refused to receive these
itinerant preachers, but
excommunicated those who did so.
He claimed authority for
himself. The apostle would
remember it. It was their duty
to do good. "He that does good
is of God."
He goes so far, with regard to
the truth, as to say, that the
truth itself bore witness to
Demetrius. I suppose that the
latter had propagated it, and
that the establishment and
confirmation of the truth
everywhere — at least where he
had laboured — was a testimony
with regard to himself.
This insistence on the truth, as
the test for the last days, is
very remarkable; and so is this
preaching itinerary by persons
who took nothing of the Gentiles
when they came forth, leaving it
to God to cause them to be
received of those who had the
truth at heart, the truth being
their only passport among
Christians, and the only means
by which the apostle could guard
the faithful. It appears that
they were of the Jewish race,
for he says, "receiving nothing
of the Gentiles," the apostle
thus making the distinction. I
notice this, because, if it be
so, the force of the expression
"and not for ours only" (1 John
2:2) becomes simple and evident,
which it is not to every one.
The apostle, as Paul does, makes
the difference of us, Jews,
though one in Christ. We may
also remark that the apostle
addressed the assembly, and not
Diotrephes, its head; and that
it was this leader who, loving
pre-eminence, resisted the
apostle's words, which the
assembly, as it appears, were
not inclined to do.
Gaius persevered in his godly
course, in spite of the
ecclesiastical authority
(whatever may have been its
right or pretended right) which
Diotrephes evidently exercised:
for he cast persons out of the
assembly.
When the apostle came, he would
(like Paul) manifest his real
power. He did not own in himself
an ecclesiastical authority to
remedy these things by a
command. These epistles are very
remarkable in this respect. With
regard to those who went about
preaching, the only means he
had, even in the case of a
woman, was to call her attention
to the truth. The authority of
the preacher lay altogether in
that. His competency was another
matter. The apostle knew no
authority which sanctioned their
mission, the absence of which
would prove it to be false or
unauthorised. The whole question
of their reception lay in the
doctrine which they brought. The
apostle had no other way to
judge of the authority of their
mission: there was then no
other; for, had there been any,
that authority would have flowed
from him. He would have been
able to say, "Where are the
proofs of their mission?" He
knew none but this — do they
bring the truth? If not, do not
salute them. If they bring the
truth, you do well to receive
them, in spite of all the
Diotrephes in the world
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