1 John 3:11

11 The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another. ¹

1 John 3:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 John 3:11

For this is the message
Sent from God by Christ, or what he in his ministry declared, and is the commandment which was so frequently urged by him, ( John 13:34 ) ( John 15:12 John 15:17 ) ;

that ye have heard from the beginning;
of the preaching of the Gospel to them, and of their conversion; see ( 1 John 2:7 ) ;

that we should love one another;
to which the command of Christ, the reason with which it is enforced, and the early notice of it, should engage.

1 John 3:11 In-Context

9 Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.

10 Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.

11 The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another.

12 We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right.

13 So do not be surprised, my friends, if the people of the world hate you.

Cross References

• 1. 3.11John 13.34.