1 John 3:1-18

Children of God Love One Another

1 See ¹how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called ²children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because ³it did not know Him.

2 ⁴Beloved, now we are ⁵children of God, and ⁶it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He ⁷appears, we will be ⁸like Him, because we will ⁹see Him just as He is.

3 And everyone who has this ¹⁰hope fixed on Him ¹¹purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and ¹²sin is lawlessness.

5 You know that He ¹³appeared in order to ¹⁴take away sins; and ¹⁵in Him there is no sin.

6 No * one who abides in Him ¹⁶sins; no * one who sins has seen Him or ¹⁷knows Him.

7 ¹⁸Little children, make sure no one ¹⁹deceives you; ²⁰the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

8 the one who practices sin is ²¹of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. ²²The Son of God ²³appeared for this purpose, ²⁴to destroy the works of the devil.

9 No * one who is ²⁵born of God ²⁶practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot * sin, because he is born of God.

10 By this the ²⁷children of God and the ²⁸children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who ²⁹does not love his ³⁰brother.

11 ³¹For this is the message ³²which you have heard from the beginning, ³³that we should love one another;

12 not as ³⁴Cain, who was of ³⁵the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because ³⁶his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.

13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if ³⁷the world hates you.

14 We know that we have ³⁸passed out of death into life, ³⁹because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

15 Everyone who ⁴⁰hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that ⁴¹no * murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 We know love by this, that ⁴²He laid down His life for us; and ⁴³we ought to lay down our lives for the ⁴⁴brethren.

17 But ⁴⁵whoever * has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and ⁴⁶closes his heart against him, ⁴⁷how does the love of God abide in him?

18 ⁴⁸Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and ⁴⁹truth.

Cross References

• 1. John 3:16; 1 John 4:10
• 2. John 1:12; John 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:2, 10
• 3. John 15:18, 21; John 16:3
• 4. 1 John 2:7
• 5. John 1:12; John 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 10
• 6. Romans 8:19, 23
• 7. Luke 17:30; Colossians 3:4; 1 John 2:28
• 8. Romans 8:29; 2 Peter 1:4
• 9. John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 3:18
• 10. Romans 15:12; 1 Peter 1:3
• 11. John 17:19; 2 Corinthians 7:1
• 12. Romans 4:15; 1 John 5:17
• 13. 1 John 1:2; 1 John 3:8
• 14. John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 1 John 2:2
• 15. 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:29
• 16. 1 John 3:9
• 17. 1 John 2:3; 3 John 11
• 18. 1 John 2:1
• 19. 1 John 2:26
• 20. 1 John 2:29
• 21. Matthew 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10
• 22. Matthew 4:3
• 23. 1 John 3:5
• 24. John 12:31; John 16:11
• 25. John 1:13; John 3:3; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 5:1, 4, 18; 3 John 11
• 26. 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:6; 1 John 5:18
• 27. John 1:12; John 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 2
• 28. Matthew 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8
• 29. Romans 13:8f; Colossians 3:14; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 John 4:8
• 30. 1 John 2:9
• 31. 1 John 1:5
• 32. 1 John 2:7
• 33. John 13:4; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7, 11f, 21; 2 John 5
• 34. Genesis 4:8
• 35. Matthew 5:37; 1 John 2:13
• 36. Psalms 38:20; Proverbs 29:10; John 8:40, 41
• 37. John 15:18; John 17:14
• 38. John 5:24
• 39. John 13:35; 1 John 2:10
• 40. Matthew 5:21; John 8:44
• 41. Galatians 5:20; Revelation 21:8
• 42. John 10:11; John 15:13
• 43. Philippians 2:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:8
• 44. 1 John 2:9
• 45. James 2:15
• 46. Deuteronomy 15:7
• 47. 1 John 4:20
• 48. 1 John 2:1; 1 John 3:7
• 49. 2 John 1; 3 John 1

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "what kind of love"
• [b]. Or "has known"
• [c]. Lit "sins"
• [d]. Or "begotten"
• [e]. Or "begotten"
• [f]. Lit "everyone"
• [g]. Lit "inward parts"
• [h]. Lit "from"