“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
Beloved,
John calls Gaius “beloved” for the second time in two short verses.
I pray that you may prosper in all things
Prosperity here is mental health and general well-being. Diotrephes gave Gaius a hard time, so he needed encouragement.
and be in health,
John was concerned about Gaius’s physical health.
just as your soul prospers
Gaius was in good spiritual health. He walked with a clear conscience before the Lord. John’s hope for him is that his general well-being would be as good as his spiritual well-being: “I wish you a general prosperity that equates with your spiritual prosperity.”
PRINCIPLE:
A prosperous soul is a soul in right relation to the Lord.
APPLICATION:
The church needs more people with spiritual health. Many give little concern to the soul. If our physical health corresponded to our spiritual health, many of us would be in bad shape. If our financial state were as bad as our spiritual state, we would be bankrupt.
There is some profit in giving concern to our physical well-being (1 Ti 4:8), but there is much more benefit in spiritual prosperity. If some of us were as strong physically as we are spiritually, we would be bedridden.
Ps 106:15, “And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.”
Ps 138:3, “In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.”
What makes for a prosperous soul? A soul in right fellowship with the Lord. Incorporation of the principles of God’s soul food into our spiritual system strengthens our spirit. The soul that has a good dose of the Word is prosperous.
Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
The importance Spiritual prosperity & maturity is highlighted nicely.Useful points given.The need for today’s church is pointed out clearly.
Hello may I reference some of the insight found in this post if I provide a link back to your site?
Yes, Grant
I am blessed by this teaching. Please be encouraged knowing that people like me in Africa and Nigeria in particular, are accessing your site. Thanks and the God that blessed Abraham, bless you. Amen
Thank you as well Benjamin for your words of encouragement. I was in Kenya and Cameroon a couple months ago and will be in Ivory Coast in November.
Just to say a big thank you for your commentary, helped a lot in understanding the verse much better. God bless you.
Thanks Christine
I just finished teaching 1John in a verse by verse format and plan to continue into 2 John and 3 John.
I just discovered your commentary, and hope to be able to use your insights when in class.
Thanks for sharing,
Thanks for the commentary on 3 John 2. I was given this promise just two hours ago, as my promise for the year, and my soul is truly blessed. May God continue to bless you with His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of His Word.
I am blessed with. May God bless you and use you more and more: so that readers may be enriched spirituall. Thank you so…ooo much from Nepal.
Thank U????? S????o??? much, G????o????d????? bless U????? Dr,grant
Thank u so much God bless YOU Dr grant
Thanks Grant, that was helpful.
I found the commentary useful.
I truly like your explanation about verse 2in 3 John . I will use them in my next Sermon
thanks remain blessed
I like this explanation from Kenneth Copeland:
Once you begin to believe it is God’s will to prosper you, you can’t help but wonder how He is going to do it. Is He going to put a check in the mail? Or start floating $20 bills down from the trees?
No. He’s going to do it by prospering your soul. He’s going to plant the seeds of prosperity in your mind, will and emotions (which is your soul), and as they grow, they’ll produce a great financial harvest.
Go to the book of Genesis and read the story of Joseph. It’s a perfect demonstration of what I’m talking about.
When Joseph was sold as a slave to the Egyptians, he didn’t have a dime to his name. He didn’t even have his freedom. He’d been sold as a slave. But, right in the middle of his slavery, God gave Joseph such wisdom and ability that he made his owner prosper. As a result, the man put Joseph in charge of all his possessions.
Later, Joseph was put in prison. There’s really not much opportunity for advancement in prison, is there? But God gave him insight that no other man in Egypt had. That insight landed him a position on Pharaoh’s staff. Not as a slave but as the most honored man in the entire country next to Pharaoh himself.
He rode along in a chariot and people literally bowed down before him. During a worldwide famine, Joseph was in charge of all the food. Now that’s prosperity!
How did God accomplish all that? By prospering Joseph’s soul. No matter how dismal his situation became, no matter how impossible his problems, God was able to reveal the spiritual secrets that would open the door of success for him.
That’s what makes God’s method of prospering so exciting. It works anywhere and everywhere. It will work in the poorest countries on the face of this earth just like it works here in the United States. And you can be sure that it will work for you!
Alexis, there is no biblical basis for your blog. Your use of Scripture is inadequate.
I thank God for the work that He is doing thru you, so encouraging to read such detailed teaching,continue the good work for the kingdom of God
with lots of love
your brother in Christ
I am highly encouraged with your exposition. One point lesson is that our general prosperity is largely depends on our souls’ prosperity. The more prosperous we are spiritually the more we will be physically.Big thanks to you for your good works.
Oyewole, you may want to look at this study: https://versebyversecommentary.com/articles/doctrine/biblical-excellence/
This morning, while i was freshening up for work, the rhema of this verse came to me. I was actually not studying the scripture at the time so it was surprising to me. Many Christian preachers and teachers have actually made us believe that this was God’s promise of material prosperity (which in a way is not bad). This is may make others like Lazarus who was poor while on earth seem his soul did not prosper. The term “mental and general well-being” in the context of this scripture collaborate the fact that our ultimate prosperity is the prosperity of our soul. Although we all desire physical and material prosperity, we may all not attain this before the return of Christ. Those who suffer persecution on account of the Gospel and the Apostle who sold all they had and distributed the proceeds for the well-being of others did not necessarily die with material prosperity.
Thank you for this perspective.
Came across your post as I was searching for a commentary on this scripture. I’m blessed. Thanks
just wanted to make a comment on 3 john2 john is saying as your soul prospers in accepting the truth of salvation he is also revealing it naturally coincides with your finance health material and emotional state also prospers and should be part of the whole salvation package not just spiritual and not that weve come into salvation to recieve these things but it is right that these are part of salvation too so he spoke it knowing it makes sense that as a christian we should be saved in every part of our lives not just spiritualy this is nothing to do with prosperty ministry its the biblical truth hes making a revelation that it makes sense that you look like your a christian in every area of your life that you can live in the life you talk about as a natural truth of salvation
Tyrone, all that we can say about this verse is that Paul wishes the general well-being of Gaius may be as strong as his spiritual health. To imply that it means more is to inject one’s own thoughts into the passage.
Alot of insight have I received this evening. May wholesome prosperity abound us all in the unchallengeable name of Jesus Christ.
As I was searching for an explanation I came across this and blessed. Also as God’s relative Alexis please don’t Include someone’s comment with someone. It may classified. I’m sorry if am wrong.