3 John 2

 3 John 2

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

a. NLT: Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: Beloved, concerning all things I desire thee to prosper, and to be in health, even as thy soul doth prosper,  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

1. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health…”

a. Beloved [Strong: 27. agapetos ag-ap-ay-tos' from 25; beloved:--(dearly, well) beloved, dear.]

b. wish [Strong: 2172. euchomai yoo'-khom-ahee middle voice of a primary verb; to wish; by implication, to pray to God:--pray, will, wish.] [Thayer: to pray to God, to wish, to pray, to pray for.] [Bullinger: to speak out, to utter aloud; hence to pray.]

c. above [Strong: 4012. peri per-ee' from the base of 4008; properly, through (all over), i.e. around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period):--(there-)about, above, against, at, on behalf of, X and his company, which concern, (as) concerning, for, X how it will go with, ((there-, where-)) of, on, over, pertaining (to), for sake, X (e-)state, (as) touching, (where-)by (in), with. In comparative, it retains substantially the same meaning of circuit (around), excess (beyond), or completeness (through).]

d. all [things [Strong: 3956. pas pas including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:--all (manner of, means), alway(-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no(-thing), X thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.]

e. [that] thou [Strong: 4571. se seh accusative case singular of 4771; thee:--thee, thou, X thy house.]

f. [mayest] prosper [Strong: 2137. euodoo yoo-od-o'-o from a compound of 2095 and 3598; to help on the road, i.e. (passively) succeed in reaching; figuratively, to succeed in business affairs:--(have a) prosper(-ous journey).] [Thayer: to grant a prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way, to grant a successful issue, to cause to prosper, to prosper, be successful.]

1). The word “prosper” does not always refer to money or worldly goods. In the Old Testament it referred to spiritual growth. The same word used for “prosper” or “prosperous” many, many times refers to success, doing well, winning battles. A good example is the anointing of David by Samuel the prophet where it uses the Hebrew word for “prosperous” to describe the descending of the Holy Spirit upon David or anyone. 

a). 1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

b). came upon  [Strong: 6743 tsalach tsaw-lakh' or tsaleach {tsaw-lay'-akh}; a primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive):--break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper(-ity, -ous, - ously), to finish well]. [AMG: The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament, Baker & Carpenter] A verb meaning to rush, to break forth, to come mightily. It describes the Holy Spirit’s effect on persons, making them powerful] Judges 14:6; 1 Samuel 16:13.]

g. and [Strong: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

h. [be in] health [5198 * hygiaino] [Strong: to have sound health, i.e. be well (in body); figuratively, to be uncorrupt (true in doctrine):--be in health, (be safe and) sound, (be) whole(-some).]

1). This is where we get the English word: hygiene, a science of the establishment and maintenance of health, conditions or practices (as of cleanliness) conducive to health. Does God desire us to be in health? What does the Scripture  say?

a). Acts 10:38  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

b). Here Luke, the writer of Acts, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost refers to sickness as oppression of the devil. In light of this, if divine healing is not part of the New Covenant, i.e., if it is not God’s will to heal every New Covenant believer, that God in his sovereign will heals some but not others. Then that means that God in this so called, “sovereign will” has chosen to leave some of his children under the oppression of the devil and some of them He chooses to free. This kind of teaching is hogwash. How about the believer who says he can’t quit lusting, or the believer who says he can’t get free of pornography, or alcohol, or cigarettes, or drugs. Do you say the same thing?

2). Another example is given in the gospel of Luke .

a). Luke 13:10-16 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

13:11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

13:12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13:13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

13:14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

13:15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

b). In this passage Jesus identifies this woman’s crippled back as satanic bondage (Satan hath bound Luke 13:16). In these two passages sickness is identified as oppression of the devil and satanic bondage. Those are God’s words.

i. even as [Strong: 2531. kathos kath-oce' from 2596 and 5613; just (or inasmuch) as, that:--according to, (according, even) as, how, when.]

j. thy [Strong: 4675. sou soo genitive case of 4771; of thee, thy:--X home, thee, thine (own), thou, thy.]

k. [Strong: 3588. [hē] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [hē] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.]

l. soul [Strong: 5590. psuche psoo-khay' from 5594; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from 4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from 2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew 5315, 7307 and 2416):--heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.]

m. prosper [Strong: 2137. euodoo yoo-od-o'-o from a compound of 2095 and 3598; to help on the road, i.e. (passively) succeed in reaching; figuratively, to succeed in business affairs:--(have a) prosper(-ous journey).] [Thayer: to grant a prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way, to grant a successful issue, to cause to prosper, to prosper, be successful.]

1). It is God’s will for us to succeed in every area of godly life. The Lordship of Christ in a person’s life is the greatest most successful management of human life in human existence, in all of creation forever.