New American Standard Bible 1995

1 John 3

Children of God Love One Another

1See 1 2how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called 3children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because 4it did not know Him. 2 5Beloved, now we are 6children of God, and 7it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He 8appears, we will be 9like Him, because we will 10see Him just as He is. 3And everyone who has this 11hope fixed on Him 12purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and 13sin is lawlessness. 5You know that He 14appeared in order to 15take away sins; and 16in Him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in Him 17sins; no one who sins has seen Him or 18 19knows Him. 7 20Little children, make sure no one 21deceives you; 22the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8the one who practices sin is 23of the devil; for the devil 24has sinned from the beginning. 25The Son of God 26appeared for this purpose, 27to destroy the works of the devil. 9No one who is 28 29born of God 30practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is 31born of God. 10By this the 32children of God and the 33children of the devil are obvious: 34anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who 35does not love his 36brother.

11 37For this is the message 38which you have heard from the beginning, 39that we should love one another; 12not as 40Cain, who was of 41the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because 42his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

13Do not be surprised, brethren, if 43the world hates you. 14We know that we have 44passed out of death into life, 45because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15Everyone who 46hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that 47no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16We know love by this, that 48He laid down His life for us; and 49we ought to lay down our lives for the 50brethren. 17But 51whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and 52closes his 53heart 54against him, 55how does the love of God abide in him? 18 56Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and 57truth. 19We will know by this that we are 58of the truth, and will 59assure our heart before Him 20 60in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21 61Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have 62confidence 63before God; 22and 64whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we 65keep His commandments and do 66the things that are pleasing in His sight.

23This is His commandment, that we 67 68believe in 69the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as 70He 71commanded us. 24The one who 72keeps His commandments 73abides in Him, and He in him. 74We know by this that 75He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Notes

1. 1 John 3:1 Lit what kind of love ↩
2. 1 John 3:1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:10 ↩
3. 1 John 3:1 John 1:12; 11:52; Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:2, 10 ↩
4. 1 John 3:1 John 15:18, 21; 16:3 ↩
5. 1 John 3:2 1 John 2:7 ↩
6. 1 John 3:2 John 1:12; 11:52; Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 10 ↩
7. 1 John 3:2 Rom 8:19, 23f ↩
8. 1 John 3:2 Luke 17:30; Col 3:4; 1 John 2:28 ↩
9. 1 John 3:2 Rom 8:29; 2 Pet 1:4 ↩
10. 1 John 3:2 John 17:24; 2 Cor 3:18 ↩
11. 1 John 3:3 Rom 15:12; 1 Pet 1:3 ↩
12. 1 John 3:3 John 17:19; 2 Cor 7:1 ↩
13. 1 John 3:4 Rom 4:15; 1 John 5:17 ↩
14. 1 John 3:5 1 John 1:2; 3:8 ↩
15. 1 John 3:5 John 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18-20; 1 John 2:2 ↩
16. 1 John 3:5 2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 2:29 ↩
17. 1 John 3:6 1 John 3:9 ↩
18. 1 John 3:6 Or has known ↩
19. 1 John 3:6 1 John 2:3; 3 John 11 ↩
20. 1 John 3:7 1 John 2:1 ↩
21. 1 John 3:7 1 John 2:26 ↩
22. 1 John 3:7 1 John 2:29 ↩
23. 1 John 3:8 Matt 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10 ↩
24. 1 John 3:8 Lit sins ↩
25. 1 John 3:8 Matt 4:3 ↩
26. 1 John 3:8 1 John 3:5 ↩
27. 1 John 3:8 John 12:31; 16:11 ↩
28. 1 John 3:9 Or begotten ↩
29. 1 John 3:9 John 1:13; 3:3; 1 John 2:29; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18; 3 John 11 ↩
30. 1 John 3:9 1 Pet 1:23; 1 John 3:6; 5:18 ↩
31. 1 John 3:9 Or begotten ↩
32. 1 John 3:10 John 1:12; 11:52; Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 2 ↩
33. 1 John 3:10 Matt 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8 ↩
34. 1 John 3:10 Lit everyone ↩
35. 1 John 3:10 Rom 13:8ff; Col 3:14; 1 Tim 1:5; 1 John 4:8 ↩
36. 1 John 3:10 1 John 2:9 ↩
37. 1 John 3:11 1 John 1:5 ↩
38. 1 John 3:11 1 John 2:7 ↩
39. 1 John 3:11 John 13:4f; 15:12; 1 John 4:7, 11f, 21; 2 John 5 ↩
40. 1 John 3:12 Gen 4:8 ↩
41. 1 John 3:12 Matt 5:37; 1 John 2:13f ↩
42. 1 John 3:12 Ps 38:20; Prov 29:10; John 8:40, 41 ↩
43. 1 John 3:13 John 15:18; 17:14 ↩
44. 1 John 3:14 John 5:24 ↩
45. 1 John 3:14 John 13:35; 1 John 2:10 ↩
46. 1 John 3:15 Matt 5:21f; John 8:44 ↩
47. 1 John 3:15 Gal 5:20f; Rev 21:8 ↩
48. 1 John 3:16 John 10:11; 15:13 ↩
49. 1 John 3:16 Phil 2:17; 1 Thess 2:8 ↩
50. 1 John 3:16 1 John 2:9 ↩
51. 1 John 3:17 James 2:15f ↩
52. 1 John 3:17 Deut 15:7 ↩
53. 1 John 3:17 Lit inward parts ↩
54. 1 John 3:17 Lit from ↩
55. 1 John 3:17 1 John 4:20 ↩
56. 1 John 3:18 1 John 2:1; 3:7 ↩
57. 1 John 3:18 2 John 1; 3 John 1 ↩
58. 1 John 3:19 1 John 2:21 ↩
59. 1 John 3:19 Lit persuade ↩
60. 1 John 3:20 Or that if our heart condemns us, that God... ↩
61. 1 John 3:21 1 John 3:2 ↩
62. 1 John 3:21 1 John 2:28; 5:14 ↩
63. 1 John 3:21 Lit toward ↩
64. 1 John 3:22 Job 22:26f; Matt 7:7; 21:22; John 9:31 ↩
65. 1 John 3:22 1 John 2:3 ↩
66. 1 John 3:22 John 8:29; Heb 13:21 ↩
67. 1 John 3:23 Or believe the name ↩
68. 1 John 3:23 John 6:29 ↩
69. 1 John 3:23 John 1:12; 2:23; 3:18 ↩
70. 1 John 3:23 John 13:34; 15:12; 1 John 2:8 ↩
71. 1 John 3:23 Lit gave us a commandment ↩
72. 1 John 3:24 1 John 2:3 ↩
73. 1 John 3:24 John 6:56; 10:38; 1 John 2:6, 24; 4:15 ↩
74. 1 John 3:24 John 14:17; Rom 8:9, 14, 16; 1 Thess 4:8; 1 John 4:13 ↩
75. 1 John 3:24 1 John 2:5 ↩

Children of God Love One Another

Notes

Commentaries on 1 John 3