Beloved, I pray that in all respected you will prosper and be in good health just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
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Don't you just love John? There's a reason we recommend the Gospel of John to new believers - he makes it so obvious what he wants us to learn. It doesn't take a Bible scholar to see that "truth" is a key theme for John - and that he considers Gaius very "beloved".
Gaius was a common name in the ancient Roman empire ... so we can't draw any firm conclusions that this Gaius is or is not one of the "Gaius"'s mentioned in 1 Cor. 1:14; Romans 16:23; and Acts 19:29 and 20:4. We do know that the Gaius in Romans 16:23 was identified as a "host" and we will see that this Gaius also is known for hospitality. Church tradition identifies him as Bishop of Pergamum. But really, we don't know. What is clear is that John considers him orthodox and an ally in the quest for truth.
Truth was under attack, then as now. John deals with issues of deception in each of his letters. 2 John had told specifically how to deal with false teachers who wanted a platform within the house church congregation - don't even let 'em in! John jumps into the issue with both feet here. Even his greeting addresses the topic so near to his heart. 3 of these 4 verses focus on Gaius' truth-walk.
"In truth" - we might think that means "truly" as in, "to the beloved Gaius whom I truly love". It doesn't. it's not an adverb, but a noun - THE truth. It's a theological statement right in the greeting. Gaius and John share the common ground of an orthodox faith - sound doctrine - that is lived out in an authentically loving relationship as fellow workers in Christ.
This is an important point in today's relativistic world. So many are calling, rightly so, for unity in the body of Christ. But unity can never come at the cost of truth.
Now, I'm not saying every single non-essential should line up. I think John Wesley's maxim is biblical: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." But think of the things that Scripture indicates are worth digging in our heels for. There is one God - from the days of Moses the children of Israel and later the church wouldn't budge from that one. He sent His chosen one - His Messiah, the Christ, His Son Jesus - as the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus, fully man and fully God, is the only way to relationship with God.Jesus died and was resurrected - the grave is empty. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This good news, this Gospel, is for all peoples and not to be kept to ourselves.
I'm sure you can think of more, but in just a few minutes those are the things I thought of that scripturally are worth fighting for. These are the things that are essential to unity. These are the things that are necessary for us to love someone "in truth". Sure, we can love them as human beings, we can love them as people made in God's image. But the deep Christian love that John speaks of can only come about "in truth". I love a lot of people who disagree with things on that list. But there is a special love that I have for those who, though extremely different from me in many ways, share those core beliefs. I love them in truth because what we share is much deeper than any differences we may have.
So, John loves Gaius. And his first prayer is for his prosperity and health. Isn't that awesome - Biblical permission to pray that each other stays healthy! I love it - but as we will see, this doesn't come in a vacuum. Gaius is very busy with the work of the kingdom, and he is very intentional to maintain the most important prosperity of all - prosperity of the soul. John acknowledges the importance of spiritual health to our overall well-being. When we hope for physical health we should hope it matches our spiritual health. Some of us think that would be pretty cool. Others are thinking we'd better work on that spiritual health! Which is exactly the point.
I asked God what is the opposite of a prosperous soul? I believe He spoke to my heart that it would be desolation of spirit. What gives you prosperity of soul, versus desolation of spirit? I meditated on that question for myself and came up with a few things:
* Trusting God (Isa. 17 makes that one crystal clear)
* Nature
* Long times with God
* Large chunks of Scripture and in-depth study
* Working on Scripture memory
* Being in constant conversation with Him
* Watching over the temple He gave me (eating right, etc.)
* Rest, and falling asleep talking to Him
* Worship music
I'm sure your list includes some of the same things and some different items. The main idea is to identify what gives you a prosperous soul. If you feel yourself slipping, struggling, then go to your list. See what needs to change to enrich your soul. Prioritize your spiritual health!
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