In verse 12 John goes on to say, “To Demetrius testimony has been borne by all, and by the truth itself; and we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.” Demetrius, who may have been one of the traveling brothers working for the Lord (vv. 5-8), may have been also the bearer of this Epistle to Gaius. Hence, a favorable and strong commendation of him by the writer was needed.
John says in verse 12 that to Demetrius testimony has been borne by all. The word “all” indicates many saints in different churches. John’s word indicates that Demetrius must have been a brother working among the churches, and thus was well known.
John also says that testimony has been borne to Demetrius “by the truth itself.” This is the revealed truth of God, as the reality of the essence of the Christian faith, which is the divine rule for the walk of all believers and by which the believers’ walk is determined. Thus, it gives a good testimony to him who walks in it, as it did to Demetrius.
Finally, in verse 12 John says, “We also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.” The “we” here denotes the apostle John and his associates. The Greek word for “true” is alethes (an adjective akin to aletheia), genuine, real; hence, true.
In verses 13 and 14, as the conclusion, John expresses the hope of closer fellowship (vv. 13-14a) and extends mutual greetings (v. 14b): “I had many things to write to you, but I do not want to write to you with ink and pen; but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak mouth to mouth. Peace to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.” Here we see that the apostle expresses his desire for a deeper and richer fellowship with Gaius for fullness of joy in the enjoyment of the divine life (1 John 1:2-4).
In the Epistles of John there is an underlying thought. This thought is related to the fact that at the time these Epistles were written certain heresies concerning the Person of Christ had crept in. The effect of these heretical teachings was to annul the saints’ enjoyment of the Triune God. This enjoyment has a focal point: God becoming man, and this God-man accomplishing redemption and in resurrection becoming the life-giving Spirit.
In order to see that this underlying thought is in fact found in John’s Epistles, let us review a number of points. In his first Epistle John says that God sent His Son a propitiation concerning our sins (4:10). John also says that God sent His Son, the only begotten, into the world that we may live through Him and also that the Son may be the Savior of the world. (4:9, 14). In 3:8 John says that “the Son of God was manifested, that He might undo the works of the Devil.”
God’s sending His Son implies incarnation. In what way did God send His Son? God sent His Son through incarnation. Now we need to go on to ask what incarnation is. Incarnation is the Son coming with the Father and by the Spirit to become a man. According to the New Testament, the Lord Jesus was conceived of the Spirit and came with the Father. By this we see that the Trinity is involved with the incarnation. The issue of the incarnation, in which the Trinity was involved, was a wonderful Man by the name of Jesus. Therefore, the incarnation was not an act merely of the Son, not an act that had nothing to do with the Father or the Spirit. Rather, when the Son was incarnated, He came with the Father and by the Spirit. Hence, the Three of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—all participated in the incarnation.
As God incarnate, the Lord Jesus lived on earth for thirty-three and a half years. Then He went to the cross and died for our redemption. In resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit.
In the Epistles of John the truth includes all these crucial matters concerning Christ’s incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. This means that the truth in these Epistles implies divinity, humanity, incarnation, crucifixion, redemption, and resurrection. This truth implies all that the Triune God is, all that He has done, and all that He has obtained and attained. This all-inclusive reality is the truth that is the basic structure of John’s Epistles.
We have seen that the enemy brought in different heresies concerning the Person of Christ. The intention of the enemy was to distract people from the truth or confuse them with respect to the truth, with the result that the saints’ enjoyment of the Triune God would be destroyed.
John wrote his three Epistles to combat the work of the enemy. These Epistles reveal one main point, and this point is that the divine truth should become our reality, life, and living, that this truth should be kept in the divine fellowship, and that this truth should be applied to our entire being in everything and in every way. This is the picture portrayed in these Epistles.
We all must see the picture of the divine reality presented by John in his Epistles. This is a picture of the Triune God becoming our enjoyment through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Whoever is against this enjoyment is a false prophet, a deceiver, an antichrist. But whoever is for the enjoyment of the Triune God is an honest and faithful worker for the truth, and we should be joined to that one and participate in his work. Anything that replaces this divine reality, is a substitute for it, is an idol, and we should garrison ourselves against it. We need to guard ourselves, keep ourselves, from all idols, from all substitutes for the divine reality. If we see this vision, we shall be clear concerning the situation of today’s religion, and we shall also be clear concerning our burden in the Lord’s recovery.