1 John 3:18

1 John 3:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
• New International Version (NIV)Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Context of 1 John 3:18

16We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. 17Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. 19This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be reassured in his presence. 20Whenever our conscience condemns us, we will be reassured that God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.

1 John 3:18 word by word

Τεκνία μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• little childrenτεκνίονteknion · childrenG5040
• let usἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• notμήmē · notG3361
• in wordλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• neitherμηδέmēde · norG3366
• in tongueγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• in deedἔργονergon · workG2041
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• in truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225

Cross-references for 1 John 3:18

• 1 John 2:1My dear children, I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. Yet, if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ, who has God’s full approval. He speaks on our behalf when we come into the presence of the Father.
• Exodus 33:21Then the Lord said, “Look, there’s a place near me. Stand by this rocky cliff.
• Matthew 25:41“Then the king will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels!
• Romans 12:9Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good.
• 1 Corinthians 13:4Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant.
• Galatians 5:13You were indeed called to be free, brothers and sisters. Don’t turn this freedom into an excuse for your corrupt nature to express itself. Rather, serve each other through love.
• Galatians 6:1Brothers and sisters, if a person gets trapped by wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should help that person turn away from doing wrong. Do it in a gentle way. At the same time watch yourself so that you also are not tempted.
• Ephesians 4:1I, a prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to live the kind of life which proves that God has called you.
• 1 Thessalonians 1:3In the presence of our God and Father, we never forget that your faith is active, your love is working hard, and your confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ is enduring.
• James 2:15Suppose a believer, whether a man or a woman, needs clothes or food
• 1 Peter 1:22Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other.

Commentaries on 1 John 3:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18My little children - , My beloved children, let us not love in word - in merely allowing the general doctrine of love to God and man to be just and right; Neither in tongue - In making professions of love, and of a charitable and humane disposition, and resting there; but in deed - by humane and merciful acts; And in truth - Feeling the disposition of which we speak. There is a good saying in Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 145, 4, on this point: "If love consisted…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue - By mere profession; by merely sayinG that we love each other. See 1 Peter 1:22. But in deed and in truth - In such acts as shall show that our professed love is sincere and real. Let us do the deed of love, whether anything is said about it or not. See the notes at Matthew 6:3.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. 16-18Christ’s example shows that real love requires self-sacrifice. We follow his example when we care deeply about the needs of other people. This means giving our time, effort, prayers, and possessions to help them. In some cases, it may even mean giving our lives to meet their needs.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. When the venerable John could no longer walk to the meetings of the Church but was borne thither by his disciples, he always uttered the same address to the Church; he reminded them of that one commandment which he had received from Christ Himself, as comprising all the rest, and forming the distinction of the new covenant, "My little children, love one another." When the brethren present, wearied of hearing the same thing so often, asked why he…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 3:18

• Commandments
• Kindness
• Liberality
• Love
• Poor
• Righteous
• Righteousness
• Sincerity

In the dictionaries

• Appear
• Assure
• Condemn
• Pleasing
• Sin
• Word
• Ethics
• Johannine Theology
• John, the Epistles of
• Ten Commandments, the

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