The elder says not to imitate what is evil, but what is good. He adds that the one who does good is “of God,” while the one who does evil “has not seen God” (3 John 1:11).
In 3 John 1:11–12 the writer urges the “beloved” not to copy what is evil but to copy what is good. He links a person’s actions with what they really know and where they belong: doing good shows connection with God, while doing evil shows a lack of having seen God. These verses come after the letter contrasts Gaius’s faithful hospitality with Diotrephes’s harmful behavior and refusal to welcome traveling workers (3 John 1:5–10).
These verses draw a straight line between moral imitation and spiritual reality. The writer contrasts two patterns—“evil” and “good”—and says the community should take its cues from the good rather than copying the harmful example that has just been described in the letter (the conflict around refusing hospitality and harming others).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with 3 John 1:11, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
11Beloved, don`t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn`t seen God.