3 John 1:8 (WEB)

Passage

We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

Nearby Context

3 John 1:6 They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a way worthy of God,

3 John 1:7 because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles.

3 John 1:8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

3 John 1:9 I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say.

3 John 1:10 Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "ought", "receive", "such", "fellow", "workers", and "truth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "ought", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "because for the sake of the Name..." into verse 9's "I wrote to the assembly but Diotrephes...", so "therefore" and "ought" belong inside that flow. In 3 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "ought" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.