1 John 3:21

1 John 3:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
• New International Version (NIV)Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
• English Standard Version (ESV)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
• New King James Version (NKJV)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

Context of 1 John 3:21

19Then we will know that we truly belong to God. We will be obeying God's true message. As a result, our thoughts will not make us ashamed to come to God. 20Even if our thoughts tell us that we have done something wrong, we still will not be afraid of God. We can trust God more than we trust our thoughts. He already knows everything about us. My friends, if our thoughts do not tell us that we are guilty, we will not be afraid to come to God. 22We can pray to God and we can ask him to help us. He will give us what we ask him for. That is because we obey his commands and we do the things that please him. 23This is God's command to us: we must believe that Jesus Christ is his Son. And we must love each other, as Jesus commanded us.

1 John 3:21 word by word

Ἀγαπητοί, ἐὰν ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν μὴ καταγινώσκῃ παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεόν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Belovedἀγαπητόςagapētos · belovedG27
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• heartὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• heartκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
• condemnκαταγινώσκωkataginōskō · to condemnG2607
• notμήmē · notG3361
• have weἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• confidenceπαρρησίαparrhēsia · boldnessG3954
• towardπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for 1 John 3:21

• 1 John 2:28Yes, my children, continue to live with Christ. Then we will not be ashamed when he returns to this world. We will not be afraid to meet him.
• 1 John 4:17That is how we are able to love other people completely. Then, we will not be afraid on the day when God will judge all people. We can be sure that God will not punish us. We know this because we have lived in this world in the way that Jesus lived.
• Job 22:26You will be happy that Almighty God is your friend. You will look up to him to help you.
• Job 27:6I will never agree that I am guilty. During all of my life, my thoughts do not say that I am doing anything wrong.
• Psalms 7:3Lord, my God, if I have done a wrong thing, then let my enemies chase me and catch me. If I have done a bad thing against a friend, let my enemies catch me. If I have helped a friend's enemy to attack him, let my enemies catch me! If I am guilty of any of these things, let my enemies knock me down to the ground. They should leave me there, so that I lie as a dead person in the dirt. Selah.
• Psalms 101:2I will be careful to live in a completely good way. When will you come to help me, Lord? In my own home, I will always be completely honest.
• 1 Corinthians 4:4I am sure in my own mind that I have not done anything wrong. But that does not make me right. Only the Lord himself can judge me.
• 2 Corinthians 1:12We can be proud of how we have lived in this world. We have been careful to be honest and good with everyone. And we have been like that with you even more. We are sure in our own minds that this is true. We have not tried to be clever in a human way. But we have lived in the way that God has helped us to live.
• 1 Timothy 2:8So then, in every place where you meet together, I want the men to pray. The men who lift up their hands and pray must be those who live good lives. They must not be people who are angry or who quarrel with others.
• Hebrews 4:16So we should come near to God and we should not be afraid. God is our King. We can ask him to help us when we need help. We know that he will forgive us and he will be kind to us in whatever way we need.
• Hebrews 10:22So we should come near to God and we should not be afraid. But we must be honest and we must continue to trust him. He has made us clean from the dirt of our sins. Our thoughts no longer give us trouble about our sins. We have become clean. It is like he has washed our bodies with clean water.

Commentaries on 1 John 3:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21If our heart condemn us not - If we be conscious to ourselves of our own sincerity, that we practice not deceit, and use no mask, then have we confidence toward God - we can appeal to him for our sincerity, and we can come with boldness to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. And therefore says the apostle,Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not - If we so live as to have an approving conscience - that is, if we indulge in no secret sin; if we discharge faithfully every known duty; if we submit without complaining to all the allotments of Divine Providence. Then have we confidence toward God - Compare the 1 John 3:19; 1 John 2:28 notes; Acts 24:16 note. The apostle evidently does not mean that we have confidence toward God on the ground of what we do, as if it…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-21Verses 16-21 Here is the condescension, the miracle, the mystery of Divine love, that God would redeem the church with his own blood. Surely we should love those whom God has loved, and so loved. The Holy Spirit, grieved at selfishness, will leave the selfish heart without comfort, and full of darkness and terror. By what can it be known that a man has a true sense of the love of Christ for perishing sinners, or that the love of God has been planted in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-22Those who truly love (3:16–18) can feel confident that God accepts them. This kind of love shows that their faith is real and that they have new life in Christ (see 4:7–8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. Beloved--There is no "But" contrasting the two cases, 1Jo 3:20, 21, because "Beloved" sufficiently marks the transition to the case of the brethren walking in the full confidence of love (1Jo 3:18). The two results of our being able to "assure our hearts before Him" (1Jo 3:19), and of "our heart condemning us not" (of insincerity as to the truth in general, and as to LOVE in particular) are, (1) confidence toward God; (2) a sure answer to our prayers…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 3:21

• Commandments
• Conscience
• Faith
• Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Appear
• Assure
• Condemn
• Pleasing
• Sin
• Word
• Condemn; Condemnation
• Confidence

Commentaries on 1 John 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings