God’s Word Translation
1 John 3:7
7Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you. Whoever does what God approves of has God’s approval as Christ has God’s approval.
1 John 3:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
- New International Version (NIV)Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
Context of 1 John 3:7
5You know that Christ appeared in order to take away our sins. He isn’t sinful. 6Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you. Whoever does what God approves of has God’s approval as Christ has God’s approval. 8The person who lives a sinful life belongs to the devil, because the devil has been committing sin since the beginning. The reason that the Son of God appeared was to destroy what the devil does. 9Those who have been born from God don’t live sinful lives. What God has said lives in them, and they can’t live sinful lives. They have been born from God.
Read all of 1 John 31 John 3:7 word by word
μηδεὶς πλανάτω ὑμᾶς· ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην δίκαιός ἐστιν καθὼς ἐκεῖνος δίκαιός ἐστιν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Little childrenτεκνίονteknion · childrenG5040
- letπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
- no manμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
- youσύsu · youG4771
- he that doethποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
- righteousnessὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- righteousδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
- even asκαθώςkathōs · as/just asG2531
- heἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
Cross-references for 1 John 3:7
- 1 John 2:26I’m writing to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
- Romans 2:13People who merely listen to the laws in Moses’ Teachings don’t have God’s approval. Rather, people who do what those laws demand will have God’s approval.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Don’t you know that wicked people won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals,
- Galatians 6:7Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest.
- Ephesians 5:6Don’t let anyone deceive you with meaningless words. It is because of sins like these that God’s anger comes to those who refuse to obey him.
- James 1:22Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.
- James 2:19You believe that there is one God. That’s fine! The demons also believe that, and they tremble with fear.
- James 5:1Pay attention to this if you’re rich. Cry and moan about the misery that is coming to you.
- Psalms 106:3Blessed are those who defend justice and do what is right at all times.
- Ezekiel 18:5“Suppose a righteous person does what is fair and right.
- Matthew 5:20I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God’s approval and do it more faithfully than the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Luke 1:75by being holy and honorable as long as we live.
- Acts 10:35Rather, whoever respects God and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation.
- Romans 2:6He will pay all people back for what they have done.
- Romans 6:16Don’t you know that if you offer to be someone’s slave, you must obey that master? Either your master is sin, or your master is obedience. Letting sin be your master leads to death. Letting obedience be your master leads to God’s approval.
- Ephesians 5:9Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true.
Commentaries on 1 John 3:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Let no man deceive you - Either by asserting that "you cannot be saved from sin in this life," or "that sin will do you no harm and cannot alter your state, if you are adopted into the family of God; for sin cannot annul this adoption." Hear God, ye deceivers! He that doeth righteousness is righteous, according to his state, nature, and the extent of his moral powers. Even as he is righteous - Allowing for the disparity that must necessarily exist between…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Little children - Notes at 1 John 2:1. Let no man deceive you - That is, in the matter under consideration; to wit, by persuading you that a man may live in sinful practices, and yet be a true child of God. From this it is clear that the apostle supposed there were some who would attempt to do this, and it was to counteract their arts that he made these positive statements in regard to the nature of true religion. He that doeth righteousness is righteous…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-10Verses 3-10 The sons of God know that their Lord is of purer eyes than to allow any thing unholy and impure to dwell with him. It is the hope of hypocrites, not of the sons of God, that makes allowance for gratifying impure desires and lusts. May we be followers of him as his dear children, thus show our sense of his unspeakable mercy, and express that obedient, grateful, humble mind which becomes us. Sin is the rejecting the Divine law. In him, that is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-10This section explains what it means to live a pure life (3:3). Being part of God's spiritual family requires living a pure life. A life full of sin shows that someone is not truly God's child. Sin is not suitable for the new nature that comes from spiritual birth. John encourages Christians to do what is right to show they are united to Christ and his righteousness. Children of God do not make a practice of sinning. However, this is different from the…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. The same truth stated, with the addition that he who sins is, so far as he sins, "of the devil." let no man deceive you--as Antinomians try to mislead men. righteousness--Greek, "the righteousness," namely, of Christ or God. he that doeth ... is righteous--Not his doing makes him righteous, but his being righteous (justified by the righteousness of God in Christ, Ro 10:3-10) makes him to do righteousness: an inversion common in familiar language…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 John 3:7
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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