1 Ἴδετε ποταπὴν ἀγάπην δέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Πατὴρ ἵνα τέκνα Θεοῦ κληθῶμεν, καὶ ἐσμέν. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κόσμος οὐ γινώσκει ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν. 2 Ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα Θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν. 3 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἁγνίζει ἑαυτὸν καθὼς ἐκεῖνος ἁγνός ἐστιν. 4 Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία. 5 καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη ἵνα τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἄρῃ, καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν. 6 πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ ἔγνωκεν αὐτόν. 7 Τεκνία, μηδεὶς πλανάτω ὑμᾶς· ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην δίκαιός ἐστιν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος δίκαιός ἐστιν· 8 ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν, ὅτι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. εἰς τοῦτο ἐφανερώθη ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου. 9 Πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ, ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει· καὶ οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται. 10 ἐν τούτῳ φανερά ἐστιν τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ διαβόλου· πᾶς ὁ μὴ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. 11 ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἠκούσατε ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους· 12 οὐ καθὼς Κάϊν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν; ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ δίκαια. 13 Μὴ θαυμάζετε, ἀδελφοί, εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος. 14 ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν, ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς· ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ. 15 πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν, καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν αὐτῷ μένουσαν. 16 Ἐν τούτῳ ἐγνώκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν· καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὰς ψυχὰς θεῖναι. 17 ὃς δ’ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ; 18 Τεκνία, μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ, ἀλλὰ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. 19 ἐν τούτῳ γνωσόμεθα ὅτι ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσμέν, καὶ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πείσομεν τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν 20 ὅτι ἐὰν καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία, ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν καὶ γινώσκει πάντα. 21 Ἀγαπητοί, ἐὰν ἡ καρδία μὴ καταγινώσκῃ, παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, 22 καὶ ὃ ἐὰν αἰτῶμεν λαμβάνομεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηροῦμεν καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦμεν. 23 καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύσωμεν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἔδωκεν ἐντολὴν ἡμῖν. 24 καὶ ὁ τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι μένει ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὗ ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν.
1 John · Nestle Greek New Testament (1904)
1 John 3 Nestle Greek New Testament (1904)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Verses the critical text omits (e.g. Matthew 17:21, Acts 8:37) are shown as empty.
- Follows the edition's own numbering where it differs (e.g. Acts 19:40 includes the KJV's 19:41; 2 Corinthians 13 has 13 verses; 3 John has 15; Revelation 12 has 18).
- Angle brackets < > and double square brackets [[ ]] are the edition's own marks for doubtful passages (e.g. Mark 1:1, Mark 16:9–20, John 7:53–8:11).
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)