Diotrephes and Demetrius

John reports that he has written to the church, but Diotrephes rejects apostolic instruction because he loves preeminence. His pride issues in malicious slander, refusal to welcome the brothers, and even expulsion of those who want to show hospitality. John therefore warns Gaius not to imitate evil but good, teaching that doing good marks one as belonging to God while evil shows a person has not seen Him. Demetrius, by contrast, has received a good testimony from everyone, from the truth itself, and from the elder's own witness. The paragraph places before Gaius two patterns of leadership and makes the path of imitation unmistakable.

I⁹ have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. ¹⁰So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church. ¹¹Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. ¹²Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.