Articles
“No Greater Joy”
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4
God gives his people so many reasons to celebrate. We rejoice in our salvation, the blessings of being part of God’s family, the eternal life we have in Christ. We can even find joy in our trials knowing what God is accomplishing in us through them. What brings you the greatest joy as a child of God? The apostle John writes, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
When John writes of “my children” he does not mean, of course, his physical relations. They were his “beloved children” in the spiritual sense, children in the faith (also Paul in 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4). John, the last living apostle, wrote his three letters later in life. Therefore, he self-consciously strikes a paternal tone throughout, describing the recipients of his letters as “my little children” with regularity. These were Christians John knew well. He had taught them, labored with them, prayed for them. Therefore, the apostle took special joy in seeing this new generation of Christians flourish and grow strong in the faith as they continued “walking in the truth.”
When Simon and Nora were around three or four years old, Rachael and I would take them to the mall on rainy days where there was an indoor playground. It was bedlam when crowded. But everything was made of squishy foam so it was a safe place for them to get their wiggles out. On one crowded day there was a gaggle of older kids running hither and thither heedlessly knocking down toddlers in their wake like bowling pins. One such casualty began to cry and Simon walked over, helped him up, and dusted him off. Seeing our son act with such compassion made us beam with joy! This feeling is, in essence, what John is talking about.
This great joy, however, is only given to those Christians who are actively helping others grow, first by initially bringing them to faith in evangelism, then continuing to help ground them in the teaching of Christ and sticking with them as they mature in the faith. After long months and years of bible study, many earnest prayers, patient evenings talking through issues, countless deeds of service and other loving relational investments—in other words, after planting the seed of God’s word and watering the soil of the heart—we start to see the growth that only God can provide (1 Cor. 3:5-9).
All boasting, then, is excluded in such work because, after all, “it is God who works in [us], both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13) and we struggle “with all his energy that he powerfully works within [us]” (Col. 1:29). It is the simple, pure, profound joy of the farmer who toils in tears but perseveres (Psa. 126:6). There is nothing quite like seeing those we love “walking in the truth.” It refreshes our hearts in the Lord (Philemon 1:20).
However, this precious growth is constantly threatened by the enemy and must be protected at all cost. The faith of new Christians is fragile and easily shaken. So we must not be careless in our speech or actions toward them. The Lord holds those who cause these “little ones… to sin” accountable (Mk. 9:42). Therefore, we must “take care how [we] build upon” the foundation of another’s work lest we be found destroying God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:10-17). How sad when one who has not invested in another’s growth discourages them in tactless conversation! But how refreshing when they contribute to that growth by building them up!
In 3 John 1:4, we find both encouragement and warning. First, great joy is found in witnessing the spiritual growth and constancy of those we have labored to bring to faith. How are you helping others “walk in the truth”? Second, we must be careful never to jeopardize that spiritual growth through insensitivity. “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Rom. 15:2)
