1 John3

The chapter opens by extolling God's profound love in making believers His children, instilling a hope of future likeness to Christ that purifies. It sharply contrasts those who practice righteousness as children of God with those who commit sin as children of the devil, emphasizing that Christ came to destroy sin. A central theme is the commandment to love one another, demonstrating true faith through deeds rather than mere words, and assuring believers of God's presence through obedience.

The Love of God and Our Future Hope

1
See what love the Father has lavished on us in letting us be called God’s children! For that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it has not known him. ​
2
Dear friends, we are God’s children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will become. We do know that when he appears, we will be like him; because we will see him as he really is. ​
3
And everyone who has this hope in him continues purifying himself, since God is pure. ​

Righteousness vs. Sin

4
Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah — indeed, sin is violation of Torah. ​
5
You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.
6
So no one who remains united with him continues sinning; everyone who does continue sinning has neither seen him nor known him. ​
7
Children, don’t let anyone deceive you — it is the person that keeps on doing what is right who is righteous, just as God is righteous.
8
The person who keeps on sinning is from the Adversary, because from the very beginning the Adversary has kept on sinning. It was for this very reason that the Son of God appeared, to destroy these doings of the Adversary. ​
9
No one who has God as his Father keeps on sinning, because the seed planted by God remains in him. That is, he cannot continue sinning, because he has God as his Father. ​
10
Here is how one can distinguish clearly between God’s children and those of the Adversary: everyone who does not continue doing what is right is not from God. Likewise, anyone who fails to keep loving his brother is not from God. ​

The Commandment to Love One Another

11
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning: that we should love each other ​
12
and not be like Kayin, who was from the Evil One and murdered his own brother. Why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. ​
13
Don’t be amazed, brothers, if the world hates you.
14
We, for our part, know that we have passed from death to life because we keep loving the brothers. The person who fails to keep on loving is still under the power of death. ​
15
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. ​
16
The way that we have come to know love is through his having laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers! ​
17
If someone has worldly possessions and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how can he be loving God? ​
18
Children, let us love not with words and talk, but with actions and in reality! ​

Assurance, Confidence, and Obedience

19
Here is how we will know that we are from the truth and will set our hearts at rest in his presence: ​
20
if our hearts know something against us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ​
21
Dear friends, if our hearts know nothing against us, we have confidence in approaching God;
22
then, whatever we ask for, we receive from him; because we are obeying his commands and doing the things that please him. ​
23
This is his command: that we are to trust in the person and power of his Son Yeshua the Messiah and to keep loving one another, just as he commanded us. ​
24
Those who obey his commands remain united with him and he with them. Here is how we know that he remains united with us: by the Spirit whom he gave us. ​

Study Notes for 1 John 3

Verse 1

John emphasizes the astounding nature of God’s love, resulting in our adoption as His children. The world’s ignorance and rejection of believers is expected, as it first rejected Christ (knew him not).

Verse 2

This verse highlights the tension between the present reality (we are sons of God) and the future glory. The promise that 'we shall be like him' refers to the full spiritual and physical transformation at Christ’s return (cf. Phil 3:21).

Verse 3

The hope of future glory (v. 2) serves as a powerful motivation for present sanctification. True hope in Christ leads to active self-purification.

Verse 4

John defines sin as 'transgression of the law' (lawlessness, anomia). Sin is thus a willful rebellion against God’s established moral order and rule.

Verse 6

The Greek verb tense used here denotes continuous action. 'Sinneth not' means one does not habitually or continuously live a life characterized by sin. Abiding in Christ makes a lifestyle of sin fundamentally incompatible with the believer’s nature.

Verse 8

Those who habitually practice sin demonstrate that they belong to the devil’s domain. The purpose of Christ’s manifestation was precisely to destroy the spiritual and moral effects of Satan’s works.

Verse 9

The 'seed' of God refers to the eternal, life-giving principle implanted by the Holy Spirit through regeneration. Because of this spiritual nature, the true Christian cannot live in a continuous state of willful sin.

Verse 10

This verse provides the practical test for distinguishing God's children: the consistent practice of righteousness and the active love for fellow believers.

Verse 11

This introduces the second major test of genuine faith: love. This message was a core teaching ('from the beginning') of the Christian faith.

Verse 12

Cain is presented as the archetypal example of the unrighteous, whose hatred and murder of his righteous brother (Abel) stemmed from his own evil works.

Verse 14

Love for fellow believers is not the cause of salvation, but the primary evidence that one has experienced the spiritual shift 'from death unto life' (regeneration).

Verse 15

John equates hatred with murder, aligning with Jesus’ teaching (Matt 5:21-22). Unresolved hatred is incompatible with the eternal life that indwells believers.

Verse 16

Christ's sacrificial act sets the ultimate standard for Christian love. If He gave His life for us, we must be willing to make significant sacrifices, even potentially our own lives, for our brethren.

Verse 17

John moves from sacrificial love to practical, material love. To have the means to help a needy brother but refuse compassion indicates a lack of genuine divine love residing within the heart.

Verse 18

True love must be demonstrated actively in concrete actions ('in deed and in truth'), not merely expressed through eloquent words or empty promises.

Verse 19

The evidence of active love (v. 18) confirms that we 'are of the truth,' providing a foundation for assurance and peace in our hearts before God.

Verse 20

If our conscience condemns us, we find assurance in the fact that God’s knowledge is perfect and His grace surpasses our self-condemnation, especially when we are seeking to walk in truth.

Verse 22

Effective prayer is tied to obedience. We receive what we ask because our lives are characterized by keeping His commandments and seeking to please Him.

Verse 23

John simplifies the Christian life into two inseparable requirements: faith in Jesus Christ and love for one another. These two duties summarize the essence of God’s will.

Verse 24

Obedience confirms our communion with God (dwelleth in him). The ultimate confirmation of this mutual indwelling is the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, which God has given us.

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