<p>1:1 <em>The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth</em>- The &quot;beloved&quot; may refer to how Gaius was beloved by the Father and Son, just as John has referred to himself in his Gospel as the disciple whom the Lord loved. John says that God's love for Gaius is his love for him; John loves Gaius &quot;in truth&quot;, &quot;in Christ&quot; or &quot;in the spirit&quot; of truth, as Paul would put it, as a reflection of the love which God had for Gaius. So John was practicing the theory he had taught in 1 Jn. 4; that we are to love our brethren with the love of the Father and Son for them. Gaius was John's convert, for he says he is the &quot;elder&quot; of Gaius.</p>