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1 John 3

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The Love of God and Our Future Hope 1–3

1
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ​
2
Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. ​
3
And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. ​

Righteousness vs. Sin 4–10

4
Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. ​
5
And ye know that he was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin.
6
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him. ​
7
My little children, let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous:
8
he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. ​
9
Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God. ​
10
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. ​

The Commandment to Love One Another 11–18

11
For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another: ​
12
not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. ​
13
Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you.
14
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. ​
15
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. ​
16
Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ​
17
But 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? ​
18
My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth. ​

Assurance, Confidence, and Obedience 19–24

19
Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him: ​
20
because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. ​
21
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God;
22
and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. ​
23
And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment. ​
24
And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 John 3

Verse 1

what manner of love — Potapos asks 'of what sort?', as in 'What manner of man is this?' (Matt 8:27). 'Sons' is tekna, children by birth; in this letter huios, 'Son', is used only of Christ. The world's not knowing believers rests on its not knowing him: 'the world knew him not' (John 1:10).

Verse 2

when he shall appear — 'Appear' is phaneroo, to make visible: 'it doth not yet appear' and 'when he shall appear' are one verb, and so is 'manifested' in vv.5 and 8. 'Like' is homoios; the body is described in Phil 3:21, 'fashioned like unto his glorious body', and 'see him as he is' answers 1 Cor 13:12, 'then face to face'.

Verse 3

purifieth himself — Hagnizo, to make clean, used of ceremonial purifying (John 11:55; Acts 21:24) and of purified souls (1 Pet 1:22). Its adjective hagnos is 'pure' in 'even as he is pure': Christ is the measure. 'Hope' (elpis) occurs only here in the letter, and it is hope 'in him'.

Verse 4

the transgression of the law — The Greek is anomia, 'lawlessness', the word for 'iniquity' in Matt 7:23, 'depart from me, ye that work iniquity', and in Rom 4:7, 'Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven'. John defines sin by the law of God: every sin is lawlessness.

Verse 6

abideth in him — Meno, to remain, is the letter's key verb, found in 18 verses, as in 'Abide in me' (John 15:4). 'Sinneth' is a present-tense verb, a continuing course; the letter keeps this apart from a single fall: 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves' (1:8), 'if any man sin, we have an advocate' (2:1).

Verse 8

destroy the works of the devil — Luo is to loose or undo, the word for loosing a sandal (Mark 1:7) and untying a colt (Mark 11:2). The devil 'sinneth from the beginning', as the Lord said, 'He was a murderer from the beginning' (John 8:44). 'Manifested' is the verb of v.5, where it was 'to take away our sins'; see Heb 2:14.

Verse 9

his seed remaineth in him — Sperma is seed; the one 'born of God' (gennao, in the perfect tense) has God's seed abiding (meno) in him. 'Doth not commit sin' and 'cannot sin' are present tenses, the continuing practice of v.6. The new birth is that of John 3:3, and 5:18 repeats the thought: 'whosoever is born of God sinneth not'.

Verse 10

children of the devil — There are two families, known by what they do: righteousness (vv.4–10) and love for 'his brother' (vv.11–24), the two tests that run through the letter. The second family is named by Christ in John 8:44, 'Ye are of your father the devil', and Matt 13:38, 'the children of the wicked one'. 'Manifest' is phaneros, the adjective of the verb in vv.2, 5, 8.

Verse 11

that we should love one another — The 'message' is the 'old commandment' of 2:7, 'which ye had from the beginning', and the 'new commandment' of John 13:34: 'That ye love one another; as I have loved you.' Agapao, to love, is in the present tense, which makes it a continuing duty.

Verse 12

slew his brother — Sphazo is to slaughter. Outside this verse it occurs only in Revelation, of the Lamb 'as it had been slain' (Rev 5:6). 'Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him' (Gen 4:8); the Lord names 'righteous Abel' (Matt 23:35). Cain was 'of that wicked one', as those in v.8 are 'of the devil'.

Verse 14

passed from death unto life — Metabaino, to pass over from one place to another, is the verb of Christ's promise in John 5:24, 'is passed from death unto life'. 'Have passed' is a perfect tense: a crossing made and still true. The loveless 'abideth in death', the same verb (meno) as 'abideth in him' in v.6.

Verse 15

is a murderer — Anthropoktonos, 'man-killer', occurs in the New Testament only here and in John 8:44, where the devil 'was a murderer from the beginning'. The step from hatred to murder is the Lord's own, in the Sermon on the Mount: 'whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment' (Matt 5:22).

Verse 16

he laid down his life for us — The phrase is tithemi with psyche, 'to lay down a life', the words of 'the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep' (John 10:11) and 'Greater love hath no man than this' (John 15:13). 'Ought' is opheilo, the verb of a debt: what Christ gave sets what is owed to the brethren.

Verse 17

shutteth up his bowels of compassion — Splanchnon is the inward parts, the seat of pity; kleio is to shut, as a door. 'This world's good' is bios, livelihood. The law already said, 'thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother' (Deut 15:7). 'Dwelleth' is meno, the key verb again.

Verse 18

let us not love in word, neither in tongue — 'My little children' is teknion, John's tender address (2:1, 12, 28; 3:7; 4:4; 5:21). Love that stops at speech is the case of Jas 2:16: 'Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?'

Verse 19

shall assure our hearts — Peitho is to persuade, the verb of 'we will persuade him' (Matt 28:14). The heart is persuaded 'before him', in his sight, by love shown 'in deed and in truth' (v.18). 'Of the truth' answers that 'truth' in v.18. Verse 20 states what follows when the heart is not persuaded.

Verse 20

God is greater than our heart — Kataginosko, to condemn or blame, occurs only here, in v.21, and in Gal 2:11 ('he was to be blamed'). The answer to a heart that condemns is God's knowledge, which is of 'all things': 'Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee' (John 21:17). See also Ps 139:1.

Verse 22

whatsoever we ask — The ground is given: 'we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.' Arestos, 'pleasing', is the word of Christ's own life: 'I do always those things that please him' (John 8:29). Compare 'If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will' (John 15:7), and 5:14.

Verse 23

his commandment — The commandment is singular, with two parts: to 'believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ' and to 'love one another'. 'Believe' is an aorist, the act taken as a whole; 'love' is a present tense, continuing. The first is 'the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent' (John 6:29); the second is v.11.

Verse 24

by the Spirit which he hath given us — This is the first place where the letter names the Spirit (pneuma); he returns in 4:1–3, the test of spirits, and 4:13, 'because he hath given us of his Spirit'. 'Dwelleth' and 'abideth' are both meno: he who keeps the commandments remains in God, and God in him.