3 John 1:4

Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

Greater joy have I none ... The word "greater" here, in the Greek is, "a double comparative as betterer would be in English."[13] Paul frequently used such expressions, as in Ephesians 3:8; and Shakespeare has, "How much more elder art thou than thy looks!"[14]

My children walking in the truth ... Some have surmised from this that John had converted Gaius, but "this is not certain."[15] After all, John's writing as "the elder" to congregations and persons over whom he had spiritual oversight was fully justified in this usage, whether or not he had converted all of his charges.

Walking in truth ... What does this mean? See under 3 John 1:1:3. Bruce gave the following definition of it:

"The truth" is Christianity to its fullness; when one who professes allegiance to Christianity lives a life in conformity with his profession, then he does not merely pay lip-service to the truth but "walks in the truth." In effect, walking in the truth is the same things as walking in the light (1 John 1:7).[16]

[13] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 1062.

[14] William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, IV, 1.

[15] Amos N. Wilder, op. cit., p. 309.

[16] F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), p. 134.