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1 John 3:10-18

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12. Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16. Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren. 17. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:10-18 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on 1 John 3:10

Theological / Devotional

In this. With this verse John begins another section of his epistle (vs. 10-18). He makes this transition smoothly by speaking of the “children of God,” that is, those who are born of God, those with whom he has already dealt in chs. 2:29 to 3:9. He now shows that children of God will love one another, whereas those who belong to the devil will feel hatred toward their brethren.

Children of God. John is here referring to those who have been “born of God” (see on v. 9; cf. on John 1:12).

Are manifest. That is, to men, for God does not need to be informed concerning the character of His own children, and He is aware of those who do not belong to Him.

Children of the devil. See on v. 8.

Doeth not righteousness. Here John states the negative of the truth given earlier — “every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” (see on ch. 2:29). If the positive is true, the negative is also. There is no neutral ground in conduct: he who is not doing righteousness is to that extent doing evil, and thereby demonstrating that he is not “of God” (literally, “out of God”), but is drawing his motivation from the devil.

Loveth not. The Gnostic teachers (see p. 625) believed themselves to be the elect, but did not extend brotherly love to their fellows. John now shows that the true Christian cannot do otherwise than love his brother.

By SdaBc