2025 3 John (1), A Triple Blessing in Jesus, Our Spiritual Ballast
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2025-03-02 16:03
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Is Your Soul Well? (Our Spiritual Ballast, Jesus Christ)
3 John 1-4
The recipient of 2 John is a woman. Women are usually rich in love but weak in truth. So, 2 John emphasizes more on truth. The recipient of 3 John is a man, Gaius. Men are usually strong in truth but weak in love or do not express it well. So 3 John emphasizes love.
John is called the ‘apostle of love.’ In this short letter, love appears five times (1, 2, 5, 11). Was John originally like this? He was by nature hot-tempered. Jesus gave him the nickname ‘son of Thunder.’ His personality must have been hasty and fiery. When the Samaritans did not accept Jesus, out of anger, John said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” However, as he grew older, he changed to be an apostle of love.
In verse 1, John writes, “To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.” Men usually don’t use the expression, “I love you.” However, John says he loves Gaius. It’s unique. Love is ‘agape,’ spiritual love. John must have raised Gaius in the love of Jesus sharing joy, truth and eternal life.
Like Timothy and Titus were Paul’s spiritual sons and Mark was Peter’s, Gaius was John’s spiritual son. I hope we also may have such spiritual sons and daughters. “You are my son in faith. You are my brother.” This is so beautiful.
John blesses Gaius. Verse 2 says, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” That’s a gracious and kind affirmation of one’s concern for wellbeing. I pray we may bless our young people like this.
First, harmony
Verse 2 is about triple blessings for man’s soul, every aspect of life and health. To understand this, we need to look at Genesis 2. In the Garden of Eden, God blessed man to be happy with five things; God’s spirit, a perfect environment, a mission, God’s law and marriage. However, after man sinned against God, man lost God’s blessings. Instead, curse came to man.
First, man’s soul was separated from God. This is spiritual death. The ground was cursed that thorns and thistles grew. Sickness, aging and death came to man. When man lost the spirit of God, man’s soul became dead. Then all things went wrong.
However, Jesus came to revive man’s soul. Then all things go well with good health. Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” This is gospel (good news). The cross of Jesus revives our souls, makes us healthy and all things go well. This is a triple blessing.
Now, why was John giving this blessing to Gaius? It was due to the heresy of Gnosticism at that time. Gnosticism separates man’s soul from body. Under the influence of Platonism, they say that man’s soul is noble but body is dirty and worthless. “As long as your soul is clean, it does not matter whether your body is well or not.” This is where asceticism and hedonism came from.
“Hey why do you want to marry? Why do you want to be successful in your study and your business? Is it important and worthy?” Yes it is because God created both soul and body. It is God’s will for you and me to be well in our souls, all life aspects including health.
Some people dedicate to maintaining their souls well. But they are indifferent to ‘everything going well and being healthy.’ They say, “Thank God,” though they are sick and poor. They seem to be spiritual and have great faith. But they are spiritually ignorant.
Man has both soul and body. God wants our soul to be well and our whole life to be prosperous including good health. This is John’s prayer for his spiritual son, Gaius. This is biblical. So when I get up in the morning, I claim, “Lord, I am righteous in Your Son, Jesus Christ. I am healthy. I and my family are blessed. My business is also blessed. And the ministry I serve is growing and expanding more widely.”
Second, priority
Now, are these three things equal? Is the value of these three 1:1:1? No. John clearly teaches that the soul is the priority by saying, “As your soul prospers.” The soul comes first. Yes, God wants his people to be well in their souls first then be good in their health and every aspect of their life. Though they are healthy with successful career, if their souls are weak or dead, this is neither God’s will nor blessing. Therefore we are to strive to make our souls well first.
Then what is man’s soul? Genesis 2:7 says that God created man out of dust and breathed his breath into him, and he became a living being. Man is different from animals. Animals were also created out of dust but they did not receive the spirit of God. Therefore, animals have no souls. Animals are happy and satisfied as long as they have food, shelter and mates. However, man feels fullness and satisfaction when they communicate with God because man has a soul.
What is man’s soul? It refers to the immaterial part of a person, the essence of their identity, encompassing their personality, thoughts, emotions, and will with immortality. Man’s soul is an invisible space where God’s Spirit dwells and where man meets God. It is like Holy of holies in the temple of God. It is the place of power to produce all kinds of holiness, purity, wisdom and aspiration toward eternity. At the same time, it is the place of deep agony, thirst and loneliness due to broken relationship with God. We all have that soul.
But generally people are not interested in their soul. They are not even interested whether they have a soul or not. Their interest is success; better career, better income, better house and better health.
Now, we live in a generation that success is the top priority. Most parents and schools say, “Study hard. Find a good job. Make lots of money. Be healthy.” This is quite dangerous. People in the days of Noah and Lot were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building up to the day when flood and fire came from heaven and destroyed them all.
If we ignore to make our soul well, we too will become flesh (animal like) and we will not be able to escape judgment of God. John knew this. That is why he clearly established the order; “Gaius, I want you to be healthy and prosper in all aspects just as your soul prospers.”
David was a king, poet and musician. He was honored by everyone. He enjoyed good health, wealth and power. But he says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1)
Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty for God’s righteousness, holiness and mercy? Then you are truly blessed. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Man’s happiness and value lie in the abundance of their soul. However, the devil turns this upside down. “Hey, live according to your desires. Follow the streams of the world.” This is Satan’s cunning strategy to ruin man.
Solomon was ruined at right here. At first, his soul was fresh as he worshiped God with earnest prayer. After becoming king, he offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. (1 King 3:4) His worship was indeed sincere and sacrificial. Then the Lord said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “Lord, give me a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” The Lord was pleased and gave him wisdom and both wealth and honor as well.
Then he should have used his good health and every aspect of his good life to make his soul well. However, he became proud and sensual. He boasted his achievements and wisdom. And he indulged in women and parties. Then his soul became weak and sick that he lost everything.
Look at the world. Are people interested in their soul? Rather, most people are extremely interested in their body. When they are invited to Sunday worship service, they say they are busy. Still, they go to the gym three times a week. They have parties or attend seminars instead of going to church on Sundays for successful career.
There is an Italian movie called ‘Mondo Cane’ meaning, “a dog-like world.” This movie shows man’s sensual aptitude, caring about only their body, eating and doing something grotesque. The devil makes people forget that man has a soul.
John blesses his spiritual son, Gaius, to be healthy and prosper in all things. Why? It is to use his health and material blessings to make his soul well.
The priority of life is in man’s soul. I want you to focus on your soul. How? You need to be born again first. Your soul must be revived by your faith in Jesus. When you repent and accept Jesus as your Savoir, the Holy Spirit revives you and dwells in you. Then be spiritually filled through worship, prayer and gospel work.
There is a book by Cory Tan Boom called “The Lord is My Refuge.” During the Nazi era, she was imprisoned and shamefully tortured. She suffered a lot. However, she was not broken. She preached the gospel to the other inmates actively and worshiped God with them. Then, her soul was filled with joy and hope.
She wrote, ‘the grace given by fleas.’ The room she was imprisoned was full of fleas. Some scolded her, “Hey, you trust in Jesus, but why are there more fleas in your room?” However, this was grace. As the fleas increased, the guards stopped coming to check the room for fear of being infected by the fleas. Although it was difficult because of the fleas, it became the best place to freely pray, share the Bible and worship God. Everyone in that prison became refreshed. They had the strength and joy to overcome hardships. On the other hand, many in other rooms died out of despair.
Man’s soul is first. This is God’s creation order. Though you might be healthy with good human conditions, if your soul has no spirit of God, your wandering, anxiety and worries will not stop. You are always under the power of sin, devil and the fear of judgment.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. But he didn’t become crazy. He looked to God and kept the spirit of forgiveness. His soul was fresh. But he got divorced 6 months after his release. When God’s grace comes to you, your soul is alive that you can overcome all life circumstances. But when the grace of God departs, our souls become dry and weary like Mr. Mandela who divorced 6 months after his release.
The unbelieving people do not care whether they have a soul or not and whether their soul is sick or not. When everything is going well with good health, they feel fine.
However, we, Christians are different. When our soul is weak or sick, our life is empty and shaky. If you do not feel it, you are not born again children of God. When we have a right relationship with God through worship, prayer and gospel work, our souls are happy and satisfied and we are going well. So the question is, “Is my soul well?” How do you know whether your soul is well? Check three things.
First, do you desire to be with God? After sin, Adam hid from God. After sin, Cain felt burdened with the word of God. He left God and built his own city. This is a sign your soul is sick. Do you love to come to worship God who created you, saved you and provides you with things you need? Do you love to open the Bible and pray individually and with God’s people?
Second, do you still put your hope in God and his church after you are successful? I have seen not a few who humbly and faithfully came to church and did Bible study while they have no security but became unfaithful after they got a job or had stable income. If you are like them, remember your soul is sick. Put your hope in God always.
Third, how do you deal with the storm of life? When man’s soul is sick, they just fall into despair and doubt. They do not come out of their rooms. They complain and blame. They even drink. However, when our souls are well, during storm, we come to Jesus.
Life is full of challenges and temptations. You might get sick unexpectedly. Your relationships may break. You may fail in your study or business. You may be lonely and anxious as you get old. In man’s life, there are really many storms. Who wins? It is the one whose soul is nourished by the Spirit of God. Is your soul well? Then may God bless you to be prosperous in your health and all aspects of life.
In 1992, a yachtsman named Michael Plant had a mid-sized yacht called Coyote custom-built to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to Europe. The Coyote had a very sleek and stylish body and was equipped with the latest equipment. The yacht went missing on the 11th day of his journey. After searching for several days, the yacht was finally found floating upside down. The search team was surprised to find the yacht upside down because yachts are structurally very unlikely to capsize. The cause of the accident was investigated and it turned out that the ballast (4 tons of wt) that stabilizes the yacht under the water surface was missing. Ballast is a component that safely stabilizes the yacht. If it falls off, the yacht could be easily capsized. The investigation team concluded the cause of the accident as follows: ‘When Michael Plant built a ship, he relied only on his own skills and experiences. He paid a lot of attention to the visible parts above the waterline, but he seemed to have reduced the weight of the keel below the waterline. He trusted his own skills too much. He reduced the weight of the ballast, which is the life of the yacht, and eventually his yacht was shipwrecked. The ballast of his yacht was missing.
If there is no ballast of the inner self, it will capsize. That ballast corresponds to our soul. It is easy to care about only the visible parts, health and success, but we must always be awake and check whether our spiritual ballast, the invisible soul is well or not. When we keep the spiritual ballast, the blood of Jesus and His resurrection, we can go through any storm.
Jesus invites us now, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
3 John 1-4
The recipient of 2 John is a woman. Women are usually rich in love but weak in truth. So, 2 John emphasizes more on truth. The recipient of 3 John is a man, Gaius. Men are usually strong in truth but weak in love or do not express it well. So 3 John emphasizes love.
John is called the ‘apostle of love.’ In this short letter, love appears five times (1, 2, 5, 11). Was John originally like this? He was by nature hot-tempered. Jesus gave him the nickname ‘son of Thunder.’ His personality must have been hasty and fiery. When the Samaritans did not accept Jesus, out of anger, John said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” However, as he grew older, he changed to be an apostle of love.
In verse 1, John writes, “To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.” Men usually don’t use the expression, “I love you.” However, John says he loves Gaius. It’s unique. Love is ‘agape,’ spiritual love. John must have raised Gaius in the love of Jesus sharing joy, truth and eternal life.
Like Timothy and Titus were Paul’s spiritual sons and Mark was Peter’s, Gaius was John’s spiritual son. I hope we also may have such spiritual sons and daughters. “You are my son in faith. You are my brother.” This is so beautiful.
John blesses Gaius. Verse 2 says, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” That’s a gracious and kind affirmation of one’s concern for wellbeing. I pray we may bless our young people like this.
First, harmony
Verse 2 is about triple blessings for man’s soul, every aspect of life and health. To understand this, we need to look at Genesis 2. In the Garden of Eden, God blessed man to be happy with five things; God’s spirit, a perfect environment, a mission, God’s law and marriage. However, after man sinned against God, man lost God’s blessings. Instead, curse came to man.
First, man’s soul was separated from God. This is spiritual death. The ground was cursed that thorns and thistles grew. Sickness, aging and death came to man. When man lost the spirit of God, man’s soul became dead. Then all things went wrong.
However, Jesus came to revive man’s soul. Then all things go well with good health. Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” This is gospel (good news). The cross of Jesus revives our souls, makes us healthy and all things go well. This is a triple blessing.
Now, why was John giving this blessing to Gaius? It was due to the heresy of Gnosticism at that time. Gnosticism separates man’s soul from body. Under the influence of Platonism, they say that man’s soul is noble but body is dirty and worthless. “As long as your soul is clean, it does not matter whether your body is well or not.” This is where asceticism and hedonism came from.
“Hey why do you want to marry? Why do you want to be successful in your study and your business? Is it important and worthy?” Yes it is because God created both soul and body. It is God’s will for you and me to be well in our souls, all life aspects including health.
Some people dedicate to maintaining their souls well. But they are indifferent to ‘everything going well and being healthy.’ They say, “Thank God,” though they are sick and poor. They seem to be spiritual and have great faith. But they are spiritually ignorant.
Man has both soul and body. God wants our soul to be well and our whole life to be prosperous including good health. This is John’s prayer for his spiritual son, Gaius. This is biblical. So when I get up in the morning, I claim, “Lord, I am righteous in Your Son, Jesus Christ. I am healthy. I and my family are blessed. My business is also blessed. And the ministry I serve is growing and expanding more widely.”
Second, priority
Now, are these three things equal? Is the value of these three 1:1:1? No. John clearly teaches that the soul is the priority by saying, “As your soul prospers.” The soul comes first. Yes, God wants his people to be well in their souls first then be good in their health and every aspect of their life. Though they are healthy with successful career, if their souls are weak or dead, this is neither God’s will nor blessing. Therefore we are to strive to make our souls well first.
Then what is man’s soul? Genesis 2:7 says that God created man out of dust and breathed his breath into him, and he became a living being. Man is different from animals. Animals were also created out of dust but they did not receive the spirit of God. Therefore, animals have no souls. Animals are happy and satisfied as long as they have food, shelter and mates. However, man feels fullness and satisfaction when they communicate with God because man has a soul.
What is man’s soul? It refers to the immaterial part of a person, the essence of their identity, encompassing their personality, thoughts, emotions, and will with immortality. Man’s soul is an invisible space where God’s Spirit dwells and where man meets God. It is like Holy of holies in the temple of God. It is the place of power to produce all kinds of holiness, purity, wisdom and aspiration toward eternity. At the same time, it is the place of deep agony, thirst and loneliness due to broken relationship with God. We all have that soul.
But generally people are not interested in their soul. They are not even interested whether they have a soul or not. Their interest is success; better career, better income, better house and better health.
Now, we live in a generation that success is the top priority. Most parents and schools say, “Study hard. Find a good job. Make lots of money. Be healthy.” This is quite dangerous. People in the days of Noah and Lot were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building up to the day when flood and fire came from heaven and destroyed them all.
If we ignore to make our soul well, we too will become flesh (animal like) and we will not be able to escape judgment of God. John knew this. That is why he clearly established the order; “Gaius, I want you to be healthy and prosper in all aspects just as your soul prospers.”
David was a king, poet and musician. He was honored by everyone. He enjoyed good health, wealth and power. But he says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1)
Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty for God’s righteousness, holiness and mercy? Then you are truly blessed. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Man’s happiness and value lie in the abundance of their soul. However, the devil turns this upside down. “Hey, live according to your desires. Follow the streams of the world.” This is Satan’s cunning strategy to ruin man.
Solomon was ruined at right here. At first, his soul was fresh as he worshiped God with earnest prayer. After becoming king, he offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. (1 King 3:4) His worship was indeed sincere and sacrificial. Then the Lord said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “Lord, give me a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” The Lord was pleased and gave him wisdom and both wealth and honor as well.
Then he should have used his good health and every aspect of his good life to make his soul well. However, he became proud and sensual. He boasted his achievements and wisdom. And he indulged in women and parties. Then his soul became weak and sick that he lost everything.
Look at the world. Are people interested in their soul? Rather, most people are extremely interested in their body. When they are invited to Sunday worship service, they say they are busy. Still, they go to the gym three times a week. They have parties or attend seminars instead of going to church on Sundays for successful career.
There is an Italian movie called ‘Mondo Cane’ meaning, “a dog-like world.” This movie shows man’s sensual aptitude, caring about only their body, eating and doing something grotesque. The devil makes people forget that man has a soul.
John blesses his spiritual son, Gaius, to be healthy and prosper in all things. Why? It is to use his health and material blessings to make his soul well.
The priority of life is in man’s soul. I want you to focus on your soul. How? You need to be born again first. Your soul must be revived by your faith in Jesus. When you repent and accept Jesus as your Savoir, the Holy Spirit revives you and dwells in you. Then be spiritually filled through worship, prayer and gospel work.
There is a book by Cory Tan Boom called “The Lord is My Refuge.” During the Nazi era, she was imprisoned and shamefully tortured. She suffered a lot. However, she was not broken. She preached the gospel to the other inmates actively and worshiped God with them. Then, her soul was filled with joy and hope.
She wrote, ‘the grace given by fleas.’ The room she was imprisoned was full of fleas. Some scolded her, “Hey, you trust in Jesus, but why are there more fleas in your room?” However, this was grace. As the fleas increased, the guards stopped coming to check the room for fear of being infected by the fleas. Although it was difficult because of the fleas, it became the best place to freely pray, share the Bible and worship God. Everyone in that prison became refreshed. They had the strength and joy to overcome hardships. On the other hand, many in other rooms died out of despair.
Man’s soul is first. This is God’s creation order. Though you might be healthy with good human conditions, if your soul has no spirit of God, your wandering, anxiety and worries will not stop. You are always under the power of sin, devil and the fear of judgment.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. But he didn’t become crazy. He looked to God and kept the spirit of forgiveness. His soul was fresh. But he got divorced 6 months after his release. When God’s grace comes to you, your soul is alive that you can overcome all life circumstances. But when the grace of God departs, our souls become dry and weary like Mr. Mandela who divorced 6 months after his release.
The unbelieving people do not care whether they have a soul or not and whether their soul is sick or not. When everything is going well with good health, they feel fine.
However, we, Christians are different. When our soul is weak or sick, our life is empty and shaky. If you do not feel it, you are not born again children of God. When we have a right relationship with God through worship, prayer and gospel work, our souls are happy and satisfied and we are going well. So the question is, “Is my soul well?” How do you know whether your soul is well? Check three things.
First, do you desire to be with God? After sin, Adam hid from God. After sin, Cain felt burdened with the word of God. He left God and built his own city. This is a sign your soul is sick. Do you love to come to worship God who created you, saved you and provides you with things you need? Do you love to open the Bible and pray individually and with God’s people?
Second, do you still put your hope in God and his church after you are successful? I have seen not a few who humbly and faithfully came to church and did Bible study while they have no security but became unfaithful after they got a job or had stable income. If you are like them, remember your soul is sick. Put your hope in God always.
Third, how do you deal with the storm of life? When man’s soul is sick, they just fall into despair and doubt. They do not come out of their rooms. They complain and blame. They even drink. However, when our souls are well, during storm, we come to Jesus.
Life is full of challenges and temptations. You might get sick unexpectedly. Your relationships may break. You may fail in your study or business. You may be lonely and anxious as you get old. In man’s life, there are really many storms. Who wins? It is the one whose soul is nourished by the Spirit of God. Is your soul well? Then may God bless you to be prosperous in your health and all aspects of life.
In 1992, a yachtsman named Michael Plant had a mid-sized yacht called Coyote custom-built to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to Europe. The Coyote had a very sleek and stylish body and was equipped with the latest equipment. The yacht went missing on the 11th day of his journey. After searching for several days, the yacht was finally found floating upside down. The search team was surprised to find the yacht upside down because yachts are structurally very unlikely to capsize. The cause of the accident was investigated and it turned out that the ballast (4 tons of wt) that stabilizes the yacht under the water surface was missing. Ballast is a component that safely stabilizes the yacht. If it falls off, the yacht could be easily capsized. The investigation team concluded the cause of the accident as follows: ‘When Michael Plant built a ship, he relied only on his own skills and experiences. He paid a lot of attention to the visible parts above the waterline, but he seemed to have reduced the weight of the keel below the waterline. He trusted his own skills too much. He reduced the weight of the ballast, which is the life of the yacht, and eventually his yacht was shipwrecked. The ballast of his yacht was missing.
If there is no ballast of the inner self, it will capsize. That ballast corresponds to our soul. It is easy to care about only the visible parts, health and success, but we must always be awake and check whether our spiritual ballast, the invisible soul is well or not. When we keep the spiritual ballast, the blood of Jesus and His resurrection, we can go through any storm.
Jesus invites us now, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”