“I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church” (3 John 9-10).
In John’s third epistle, he warned about a man named Diotrephes. We often talk about this man and his desire for preeminence, his rule over the church, and the trouble he caused. However, we usually do not talk about his followers. In this article, we will consider the followers of Diotrephes and why they would follow him.
How Do We Know He Had a Following?
Diotrephes loved to have “preeminence” (3 John 9, KJV). This meant he desired to have a place of distinction and authority among them. Desiring this is one thing; having it is something else. Christians in this place had to be willing for Diotrephes to have the preeminence among them. Otherwise, he would have been the subject of church discipline.
There are several reasons why Diotrephes should have been withdrawn from by the church.
- Diotrephes did not accept apostolic teaching – John said that Diotrephes “does not accept what we say” (3 John 9). Paul told the brethren in Thessalonica, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Those who refused to accept what the apostles taught we not to be fellowshipped.
- Diotrephes made unjust accusations against truth-teachers – Diotrephes was “unjustly accusing [John and other faithful brethren] with wicked words” (3 John 10). Paul said it was “slanderously reported” that he taught that Christians should “do evil that good may come,” and said of those who were spreading this lie, “Their condemnation is just” (Romans 3:8). Those who spread lies about truth-teachers by misrepresenting their words in order to portray them as teaching something contrary to the truth are worthy of condemnation.
- Diotrephes refused to receive faithful brethren – Not surprisingly, since Diotrephes would “not accept” John’s words and was “unjustly accusing” him and other faithful brethren, he would “not receive the brethren” (3 John 9-10). By not accepting faithful brethren – those who were following God’s word – it meant that Diotrephes was enforcing a standard that went beyond God’s word. John wrote about this in his second epistle: “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). He then warned Christians to “not receive” such a one or else they would be guilty of having fellowship with him “in his evil deeds” (2 John 10-11).
- Diotrephes put out brethren who refused to go along with him – While there were some who wanted to accept John and the other faithful brethren, Diotrephes forbid them and “[put] them out of the church” (3 John 10); which implied that those who remained in the church went along with him in opposing John (even if they did so reluctantly). By doing this, Diotrephes was causing divisions and factions among God’s people – something which Paul explicitly condemned: “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11).
For these reasons, Diotrephes should have been marked and withdrawn from by the church; yet he was not. The fact that Diotrephes was still in the church and wielding influence showed that he had a following. Why would any Christian follow someone like this? There are no details given by John, but there are several possible reasons why this could have happened then and how it could happen today. Any one of these, or a combination of them, could be behind one’s decision to follow a “Diotrephes.”
Reasons Why Christians Might Follow One Like Diotrephes
They trust him – They believe he is right and think he is standing for the truth, yet they do not consult the Scriptures to confirm this assumption. It is dangerous to put our trust in anyone like this because men are fallible: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because of this, the psalmist wrote, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man” (Psalm 118:8). Paul told the brethren in Corinth, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The implication was that if Paul was not imitating Christ, then they were not to follow his example. We are to follow someone only as they follow Christ, not trust them implicitly so that we do not consider whether they are following Christ as they should.
They like him personally – There could be many reasons for this – he could have a charismatic personality, be seen as a “father-figure,” be a good friend, etc. Because of this, there may be a reluctance to do anything that would jeopardize the relationship they have with him. Jesus warned that at times we will have to choose between our earthly relationships and our service to Him: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). Jesus mentioned family relationships as these are usually the closest and most precious we have in this life, yet the principle would apply to every relationship we have. Paul said we are “not to think of men above that which is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6, KJV). We must put Christ over every relationship we have in this life.
They idolize him – This does not mean they worship him as a god; instead, this is about putting him in the place of Christ by listening to him rather than to the Lord. Instead of studying the Bible for themselves, they rely on him to tell them what is right (this goes back to the first point about them trusting him). The Bereans were commended because they refused to blindly accept what they were told – even by the apostle Paul: “They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). We have a responsibility to study for ourselves. Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). By doing this, we can be sure we are following the Lord and not men (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:12).
They believe he is well-respected – This could be within the congregation, with brethren in the area, or in the “brotherhood” as a whole. Regardless, having this perception that he is well-respected would cause one to believe he will be in the minority if he does not go along with “Diotrephes.” In this type of situation, it is tempting to compromise. When Peter – a well-respected apostle – acted hypocritically around certain Jewish brethren, Paul said that “even Barnabas was carried away” by this (Galatians 2:13). Rather than following someone who we believe is well-respected into error, we need to be sure we are striving to please the Lord first. Paul wrote earlier in his letter to the churches of Galatia, “For am I now seeking the favor or men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). We must remember that others are not our standard. Paul said that those who “measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves…are without understanding” (2 Corinthians 10:12). We must not follow anyone into error, no matter how respected that person may be among other Christians.
They value the status quo – Some would rather things be the way they are than be right. “Diotrephes” could be a long-time member or at least represent the church’s history or heritage, making some Christians unwilling to stand up against him even when it would be necessary. Of course, the “status quo” is not wrong when we are “[standing] firm and [holding] to the traditions” taught by the apostles (2 Thessalonians 2:15). However, we must be willing to change at times in order to repent (Revelation 2:5), to grow (Ephesians 4:15), or to reach those around us with the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:20-23). We must not hold the past so fondly that we are willing to go along with “Diotrephes,” simply because he represents the history or heritage of the congregation.
They have been manipulated by him – John indicated that Diotrephes was a liar and one who deceived others. When situations like this exist, it will be those who are “unsuspecting” who will be deceived (Romans 16:17-18). The Spirit warned that those who “will fall away from the faith” will be those who “[pay] attention to deceitful spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1). We must always “be on the alert” for the devil (1 Peter 5:8), which will also include those who are “his servants” and “disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). We must not allow ourselves to be manipulated by one like Diotrephes and join him in error and in opposing the truth.
They fear him – Diotrephes was willing to put people out of the church who would not follow him. There is a temptation to compromise to avoid becoming an outcast. This is why the parents of the blind man healed by Jesus and the rulers who believed in Jesus refused to speak up – they did not want to be “put out of the synagogue” (John 9:20-23; 12:42-43). The more influential “Diotrephes” is, the more likely we will become an outcast for standing up to him. Yet we must not be afraid to stand up for what is right. Peter encouraged Christians to “not fear [the] intimidation” of their opponents (1 Peter 3:14). We must be like Paul and be willing to stand alone if need be (2 Timothy 4:16-17).
Regardless of the reason(s) why we may be tempted to go along with one like Diotrephes, we cannot do so and be pleasing to the Lord. When we encounter someone like this, we need to have the courage to stand up for what is right and not be led astray by him.
Conclusion
In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, “Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:12). He told them that they were not to follow Apollos, Peter (Cephas), or himself. These were good, faithful men. If we as Christians are not to follow them, then we are certainly not to follow a man like Diotrephes.
We must follow Christ, even if it means facing opposition from “Diotrephes” and his followers. Peter wrote, “Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled” (1 Peter 3:14). “Diotrephes” and his followers will try to pressure others to get them to conform to their way of thinking. We must not be led astray by them.
Right after discussing Diotrephes, John wrote, “Beloved, 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” (3 John 11). Rather than coming up with some excuse for imitating what is evil (i.e. following one like Diotrephes), let us continue to follow the Lord in what is right.
This article is very real even today. There are Diotrephes in the Lord’s church today and we must be on our guard against them. They can be very subtle and disguised and we can be fooled by their smooth speech. Thanks, Andy, for a well studied article about this danger.
Thank you, Wayne. I always appreciate your comments.