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

16Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoso hath the world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth. 19Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him, 20whereinsoever our heart condemn us; because God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1 John 3:18 word by word

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

• Myἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• littleτεκνίονteknion · childrenG5040
• notμήmē · notG3361
• loveἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• wordλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• neitherμηδέmēde · norG3366
• theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• tongueγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• deedἔργονergon · workG2041
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225

Cross-references for 1 John 3:18

• 1 John 2:1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
• Exodus 33:21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:
• Matthew 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels:
• Romans 12:9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
• 1 Corinthians 13:4Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
• Galatians 5:13For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another.
• Galatians 6:1Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
• Ephesians 4:1I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,
• 1 Thessalonians 1:3remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;
• James 2:15If a brother or sister be naked, and in lack of daily food,
• 1 Peter 1:22Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:

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