1 John 3:23

1 John 3:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
• New International Version (NIV)And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

Context of 1 John 3:23

21My 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. This 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. 24Anyone who obeys God's commands lives together with God. God also lives in him. How do we know that God lives in us? It is because of his Holy Spirit that he has given to us.

1 John 3:23 word by word

καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ ἵνα πιστεύσωμεν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἔδωκεν ἐντολὴν ἡμῖν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• commandmentὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• commandmentἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
• Thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• we should believeπιστεύωpisteuō · to trust (in)G4100
• on the nameὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
• Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• loveἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• one anotherἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
• asκαθώςkathōs · as/just asG2531
• he gaveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for 1 John 3:23

• Deuteronomy 18:15One day, the Lord your God will send to you a prophet like me. He will come from among your own people. You must listen to him.
• Psalms 2:12Bend down low in front of his son! If not, the Lord will be angry. He will quickly become very angry. You will suddenly die! But as for those who serve the Lord as their king, he blesses them and he takes care of them all.
• Mark 9:7Then a cloud appeared and it covered them all. A voice spoke from the cloud and it said, ‘This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to him.’
• John 6:29Jesus answered, ‘You should believe in the one that God has sent to you. That is the work that God wants you to do.’
• John 14:1Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not be sad or afraid. Believe in God, and also believe in me.
• John 17:3What does it mean for people to live with you for ever? It means that they know you, the one who is the only true God. They also know me, Jesus Christ, the one that you have sent.
• Acts 16:31Paul and Silas said to him, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and then God will save you. He will save you and the people who live in your house, if they believe too.’
• 1 Timothy 1:15Here is a true message that everyone should believe: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save people who do wrong things.’ I am the worst person like that!
• 1 John 3:11Yes, we must love one another. That is the message which you have heard from the beginning.
• 1 John 2:8But there is something new about it. This rule has become true in the way that Christ lived. Now it has also become true in your lives. God's true message has brought light to shine in your lives. You no longer live in the dark where you do bad things.
• 1 John 4:21This is the command that God has given us. He has told us that anyone who loves him should love other Christians too.
• Matthew 22:39The second rule is also important, like the first one. You should love other people as much as you love yourself.
• John 13:34I give a new rule to you. Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you.
• John 15:12This is the rule that I give to you: You must love each other, in the same way that I have loved you.
• Ephesians 5:2Show that you love other people. Remember how much Christ loved us. He gave himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. He offered himself in a way that pleased God, like a sacrifice with a lovely smell.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:9But I do not need to write to you about how you should love other believers. God himself has taught you how to love each other.

Commentaries on 1 John 3:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23That we should believe on the name of his Son - We are commanded to believe on Christ, that for the sake of his passion and death we may be justified from all things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses; and being through him redeemed from the guilt of sin, restored to the Divine favor, and made partakers of the Holy Ghost, we are enabled to love one another as he gave us commandment; for without a renewal of the heart, love to God and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And this is his commandment - His commandment, by way of eminence; the leading, principal thing which he enjoins on us; the commandment which lies at the foundation of all true obedience. That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ - See the notes at Mark 16:16. Compare John 16:1; Acts 16:31. And love one another … - This follows from the other, and hence they are mentioned as together constituting his commandment. Notes, John 13:35.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-24Verses 22-24 When believers had confidence towards God, through the Spirit of adoption, and by faith in the great High Priest, they might ask what they would of their reconciled Father. They would receive it, if good for them. And as good-will to men was proclaimed from heaven, so good-will to men, particularly to the brethren, must be in the hearts of those who go to God and heaven. He who thus follows Christ, dwells in Him as his ark, refuge, and rest…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-24John gives a new way to recognize who has the Spirit. The Spirit does not belong only to a small group of people who claim to have special knowledge but do not show changed lives. Instead, the Spirit comes to all believers and leads them to live in obedience as followers of Christ (Galatians 5:22–23).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. Summing up of God's commandments under the Gospel dispensation in one commandment. this is his commandment--singular: for faith and love are not separate commandments, but are indissolubly united. We cannot truly love one another without faith in Christ, nor can we truly believe in Him without love. believe--once for all; Greek aorist. on the name of his Son--on all that is revealed in the Gospel concerning Him, and on Himself in respect to His…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 3:23

• Commandments
• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Love
• Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Jesus Christ
• Appear
• Assure
• Condemn
• Pleasing
• Sin

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