1 See what love the Father has given to us, that we may be called children of God; because of this the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now, we are children of God, and it was not yet revealed what we will be. We have known that if He may have appeared, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is; 3 and everyone who is having this hope on Him, purifies himself, even as He is pure. 4 Everyone who is doing sin, he also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness, 5 and you have known that He appeared that He may take away our sins, and sin is not in Him; 6 everyone who is remaining in Him does not sin; everyone who is sinning, has not seen Him, nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one lead you astray; he who is doing righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous, 8 he who is doing sin, he is of the Devil, because the Devil sins from the beginning; for this [reason] the Son of God appeared, that He may undo the works of the Devil; 9 everyone who has been begotten of God, he does not sin, because His seed remains in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been begotten of God. 10 In this are revealed the children of God, and the children of the Devil; everyone who is not doing righteousness, is not of God, and he who is not loving his brother, 11 because this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we may love one another, 12 not as Cain—he was of the evil one, and he slew his brother. And for [what] reason did he slay him? Because his works were evil, and those of his brother [were] righteous. 13 Do not wonder, my brothers, if the world hates you; 14 we have known that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers; he who is not loving [his] brother remains in death. 15 Everyone who is hating his brother is a manslayer, and you have known that no manslayer has continuous life remaining in him; 16 in this we have known love, because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brothers; 17 and whoever may have the goods of the world, and may view his brother having need, and may shut up his yearnings from him—how does the love of God remain in him? 18 My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in work and in truth! 19 And in this we know that we are of the truth, and before Him we will assure our hearts, 20 because if our heart may condemn—because greater is God than our heart, and He knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God, 22 and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commands, and we do the things pleasing before Him, 23 and this is His command, that we may believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and may love one another, even as He gave command to us, 24 and he who is keeping His commands, remains in Him, and He in him; and in this we know that He remains in us, from the Spirit that He gave us.
1 John · Literal Standard Version
1 John 3 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (24)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 John 1:12; Galatians 3:26; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:5–6; John 3:16
- 2 Philippians 3:21; Colossians 3:4; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Psalm 17:15
- 3 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 2:6; 2 Peter 3:14; Matthew 5:48; Hebrews 12:14
- 4 1 John 5:17; Romans 3:20; Romans 4:15; Numbers 15:31; 1 John 3:8–9
- 5 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:26
- 6 3 John 11; 1 John 2:4; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 4:8; John 15:4–7
- 7 1 John 2:29; Romans 2:13; 1 Peter 1:15–16; 1 John 3:3; 1 John 2:26
- 8 Hebrews 2:14; John 8:44; Colossians 2:15; John 16:11; John 12:31
- 9 1 John 5:18; 1 Peter 1:23; John 1:13; 1 John 5:1; 1 John 2:29
- 10 1 John 4:8; 3 John 11; 1 John 4:21; Matthew 13:38; John 8:44
- 11 John 15:12; 2 John 5; 1 John 4:7; John 13:34–35; 1 Peter 3:8
- 12 Hebrews 11:4; Genesis 4:4–15; Proverbs 29:27; Genesis 4:25; Jude 11
- 13 John 15:18–19; John 17:14; Luke 21:17; 2 Timothy 3:12; Luke 6:22
- 14 1 John 5:2; John 13:35; John 5:24; 1 John 4:20–21; 1 Thessalonians 4:9
- 15 Matthew 5:21–22; Revelation 21:8; Proverbs 26:24–26; John 8:44; Leviticus 19:16–18
- 16 1 John 4:9–11; Ephesians 5:2; John 13:34; John 3:16; Romans 5:8
- 17 Hebrews 13:16; Isaiah 58:7–10; Deuteronomy 15:7–11; 1 John 4:20; Proverbs 19:17
- 18 James 2:15–16; Romans 12:9; 1 Peter 1:22; Galatians 5:13; 1 Corinthians 13:4–7
- 19 Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 3:21; Isaiah 32:17; Hebrews 6:10–11; John 18:37
- 20 Psalm 139:1–4; Jeremiah 17:10; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 4:4
- 21 1 John 2:28; Hebrews 4:16; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Psalm 101:2; Psalm 7:3–5
- 22 John 15:7; John 9:31; Matthew 21:22; 1 John 5:14; Mark 11:24
- 23 John 6:29; John 13:34; 1 Peter 1:22; John 15:12; 1 Peter 4:8
- 24 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 John 4:15–16; 1 John 4:12–13; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Hear intently, I do beseech you, because it is no small matter that we have to cope withal: and I doubt not, because ye were intent upon it yesterday, that ye have with even greater intentness of purpose come together to-day.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
… ever, which now appeareth unto us in the dark image of the clouds, and through the glass of the heavens, not as it is; because we also, although we be the well-beloved of Thy Son, yet it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. He looketh through the lattice of our flesh, and He is fair-speaking, and hath inflamed …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
The devil then is the first author of sin, and the father of the wicked: and this is the Lord's saying, not mine, that the devil sinneth from the beginning: none sinned before him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
"He that soweth to the spirit," it is said, "shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." John too writes, "Hereby we know that he abideth in us by (ek) the spirit which he hath given us." "That which is conceived in her," says the angel, "is of the Holy Ghost," and the Lord says "that which is born of the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)
… eluded; and he who will not piously submit himself to things as they are, proudly feigns, and mocks himself with a state of things that does not exist; so that what the blessed Apostle John says thus becomes intelligible: "The devil sinneth from the beginning," --that is, from the time he was created he refused righteousness, which none but a …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)