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1 John 3
New King James Version

### The Command to Love

3 Behold (A)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that (B)we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, (C)because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, (D)now we are children of God; and (E)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, (F)we shall be like Him, for (G)we shall see Him as He is. 3 (H)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

### Sin and the Child of God

4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and (I)sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know (J)that He was manifested (K)to take away our sins, and (L)in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 (M)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, (N)that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been (O)born of God does not sin, for (P)His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

### The Imperative of Love(Q)

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, (R)that we should love one another, 12 not as (S)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if (T)the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [c]his brother abides in death. 15 (U)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that (V)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

### The Outworking of Love

16 (W)By this we know love, (X)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But (Y)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

18 My little children, (Z)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we [d]know (AA)that we are of the truth, and shall [e]assure our hearts before Him. 20 (AB)For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, (AC)we have confidence toward God. 22 And (AD)whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments (AE)and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ (AF)and love one another, as He gave [f]us commandment.

### The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

24 Now (AG)he who keeps His commandments (AH)abides in Him, and He in him. And (AI)by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

#### Footnotes

1. 1 John 3:1 NU adds And we are.
2. 1 John 3:1 M you
3. 1 John 3:14 NU omits his brother
4. 1 John 3:19 NU shall know
5. 1 John 3:19 persuade, set at rest
6. 1 John 3:23 M omits us

#### Cross references

1. 1 John 3:1 : [John 3:16; Eph. 2:4–7; 1 John 4:10]
2. 1 John 3:1 : [John 1:12]
3. 1 John 3:1 : John 15:18, 21; 16:3
4. 1 John 3:2 : [Is. 56:5; Rom. 8:15, 16]
5. 1 John 3:2 : [Rom. 8:18, 19, 23]
6. 1 John 3:2 : Rom. 8:29; 2 Pet. 1:4
7. 1 John 3:2 : [Ps. 16:11]
8. 1 John 3:3 : 1 John 4:17
9. 1 John 3:4 : Rom. 4:15; 1 John 5:17
10. 1 John 3:5 : 1 John 1:2; 3:8
11. 1 John 3:5 : [Is. 53:5, 6]; John 1:29; [2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26]
12. 1 John 3:5 : [2 Cor. 5:21]; 1 John 2:29
13. 1 John 3:8 : Matt. 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10
14. 1 John 3:8 : Luke 10:18; [Heb. 2:14]
15. 1 John 3:9 : John 1:3; 3:3; [1 John 2:29; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18]; 3 John 11
16. 1 John 3:9 : 1 Pet. 1:23
17. 1 John 3:10 : Matt. 22:39
18. 1 John 3:11 : [John 13:34; 15:12]; 1 John 4:7, 11, 21; 2 John 5
19. 1 John 3:12 : Gen. 4:4, 8
20. 1 John 3:13 : [John 15:18; 17:14]
21. 1 John 3:15 : Matt. 5:21; John 8:44
22. 1 John 3:15 : [Gal. 5:20, 21; Rev. 21:8]
23. 1 John 3:16 : [John 3:16]
24. 1 John 3:16 : John 10:11; 15:13; Gal. 2:20
25. 1 John 3:17 : Deut. 15:7
26. 1 John 3:18 : Ezek. 33:31
27. 1 John 3:19 : John 18:37
28. 1 John 3:20 : [1 Cor. 4:4, 5]
29. 1 John 3:21 : [Heb. 10:22; 1 John 2:28; 5:14]
30. 1 John 3:22 : Ps. 34:15; [John 15:7]; 1 John 5:14, 15
31. 1 John 3:22 : John 8:29; Heb. 13:21
32. 1 John 3:23 : Matt. 22:39
33. 1 John 3:24 : John 14:23
34. 1 John 3:24 : John 14:21; 17:21
35. 1 John 3:24 : John 14:17; Rom. 8:9, 14, 16; 1 Thess. 4:8; 1 John 4:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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