1 John 3

See what love the Father has given

Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.a ²Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.b ³And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.c

⁴Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.d ⁵But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.e ⁶No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.f

⁷Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.g ⁸The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.h ⁹Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.i

¹⁰By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.j

Love in deed and in truth

¹¹This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.k ¹²Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.l ¹³So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.m

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.n ¹⁵Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.o ¹⁶By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.p

¹⁷If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?q ¹⁸Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.r ¹⁹And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:s ²⁰Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.t

²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,u ²²and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.v ²³And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.w

²⁴Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.x

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Commentary

1 João 3 confronts believers with the staggering reality of being called children of God, a status rooted in the Father's love rather than human merit. John draws a sharp line between those who practice righteousness and those who practice sin, grounding both identity and behavior i

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Bible Dictionary· 1 John 3(6)

Brother Father Spirit The Way Why Word

Bible Characters· 1 John 3(2)

Cain Jesus

References· 1 John 3

a: v.1 — John 1:12, Galatians 3:26, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Galatians 4:5-6, John 3:16, John 17:25, Psalms 36:7-9, 1 John 4:9-10, John 15:18-19, Revelation 21:7
b: v.2 — Philippians 3:21, Colossians 3:4, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Psalms 17:15, Romans 8:29, 1 Corinthians 15:49, Revelation 22:4, 2 Peter 1:4, Romans 8:18
c: v.3 — 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 John 2:6, 2 Peter 3:14, Matthew 5:48, Hebrews 12:14, Hebrews 7:26, Acts 15:9, Colossians 1:5, Romans 5:4-5, 2 Peter 1:4
d: v.4 — 1 John 5:17, Romans 3:20, Romans 4:15, Numbers 15:31, 2 Corinthians 12:21, 1 John 3:8-9, James 2:9-11, Daniel 9:11, Romans 7:7-13, 1 Samuel 15:24
e: v.5 — 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 9:28, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 9:26, John 1:29, 1 John 1:7, Titus 2:14, Revelation 1:5, Isaiah 53:4-12
f: v.6 — 3 John 1:11, 1 John 2:4, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 4:8, John 15:4-7, 1 John 5:18, 1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 John 2:28, 2 Corinthians 3:18
g: v.7 — 1 John 2:29, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Romans 2:13, 1 John 3:3, 1 John 2:26, 1 John 2:1, Psalms 45:7, Galatians 6:7-8, Acts 10:35, Ephesians 5:9
h: v.8 — Hebrews 2:14, John 8:44, Colossians 2:15, John 12:31, John 16:11, Romans 16:20, 2 Peter 2:4, Mark 1:24, Ephesians 2:2, Isaiah 27:1
i: v.9 — 1 John 5:18, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 5:1, John 1:13, 1 John 2:29, Matthew 7:18, John 3:3, Galatians 5:17, 1 John 5:4, Romans 6:2
j: v.10 — 1 John 4:8, 3 John 1:11, Matthew 13:38, Luke 6:35, John 8:44, 1 John 4:21, 1 John 3:7-8, John 8:47, 1 John 4:6, 1 John 4:3-4
k: v.11 — John 15:12, 2 John 1:5, 1 John 4:7, 1 Peter 3:8, 1 John 4:21, John 13:34-35, Ephesians 5:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 1:5
l: v.12 — Hebrews 11:4, Genesis 4:4-15, Proverbs 29:27, Genesis 4:25, Jude 1:11, Luke 11:51, Proverbs 29:10, Psalms 37:12, John 15:19-25, Matthew 23:35
m: v.13 — John 15:18-19, John 17:14, Luke 21:17, James 4:4, 2 Timothy 3:12, Mark 13:13, Luke 6:22, John 7:7, Matthew 24:9, Romans 8:7
n: v.14 — John 13:35, 1 John 5:2, John 5:24, 1 John 4:20-21, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 John 4:7-8, 1 Peter 1:22, Hebrews 13:1, John 15:12, Matthew 25:40
o: v.15 — Matthew 5:21-22, Revelation 21:8, Proverbs 26:24-26, John 8:44, Leviticus 19:16-18, James 4:1-2, Acts 23:14, Matthew 5:28, Mark 6:19, James 1:15
p: v.16 — 1 John 4:9-11, Ephesians 5:2, John 13:34, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, John 15:12-13, Revelation 1:5, 1 Peter 3:18, Acts 20:28, Matthew 20:28
q: v.17 — Hebrews 13:16, Isaiah 58:7-10, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, 1 John 4:20, Proverbs 19:17, Luke 3:11, 2 Corinthians 9:5-9, James 2:15, 2 Corinthians 8:14-15, 1 Timothy 6:17-18
r: v.18 — James 2:15-16, Romans 12:9, 1 Peter 1:22, Galatians 5:13, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Galatians 6:1-2, Ephesians 4:1-3, Matthew 25:41-45, Ephesians 4:15, 1 Thessalonians 1:3
s: v.19 — Hebrews 10:22, 1 John 3:21, Hebrews 6:10-11, Isaiah 32:17, John 18:37, 2 Timothy 1:12, 1 John 1:8, John 13:35, Romans 4:21, Romans 8:38
t: v.20 — Psalms 139:1-4, Jeremiah 17:10, Hebrews 4:13, 1 Corinthians 4:4, 1 John 4:4, Jeremiah 23:24, John 10:29-30, Psalms 44:20-21, Job 33:12, Titus 3:11
u: v.21 — 1 John 2:28, Hebrews 4:16, Psalms 101:2, 2 Corinthians 1:12, Psalms 7:3-5, 1 John 5:14, Job 22:26, Hebrews 10:22, 1 John 4:17, Job 27:6
v: v.22 — John 15:7, John 9:31, Matthew 21:22, 1 John 5:14, Mark 11:24, John 16:23-24, Psalms 34:4, Proverbs 15:29, John 14:13, Matthew 7:7-8
w: v.23 — John 6:29, John 13:34, 1 Peter 1:22, John 15:12, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 3:11, Mark 9:7, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 John 4:21, Ephesians 5:2
x: v.24 — 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 John 4:15-16, 1 John 4:12-13, 2 Timothy 1:14, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 John 2:6, John 14:21-23, Romans 8:9-17, John 17:21, 1 John 4:7

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