1 John 3:1 - Forerunner Commentary

1 John 3:1

1 Behold ^awhat manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that ^bwe should be called children of¹ God! Therefore the world does not know² us, ^cbecause it did not know Him.

2 Beloved, ^anow we are children of God; and ^bit has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, ^cwe shall be like Him, for ^dwe shall see Him as He is.

3 ^aAnd 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 ^asin is lawlessness.

5 And you know ^athat He was manifested ^bto take away our sins, and ^cin 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 ^aHe who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, ^bthat He might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whoever has been ^aborn of God does not sin, for ^bHis seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love

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, ^athat we should love one another,

12 not as ^aCain 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.

Verse Comparison: 1 John 3:1

<< 1 John 2:29

1 John 3:2 >>

American Standard Version
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and `such' we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Amplified® Bible
SEE WHAT [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named {and} called {and} counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him.

Contemporary English Version
Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don't know who we are.

Darby English Version
See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called [the] children of God. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

Good News Bible
See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children---and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God.

International Standard Version
See what kind of love the Father has given us in letting us be called God's children. And that is what we are! For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not recognize him either.

King James Version
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

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

New International Version
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

New King James Version
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that He would call us children of God; and such we have become For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Young's Literal Translation
See ye what love the Father hath given to us, that children of God we may be called; because of this the world doth not know us, because it did not know Him;

New English Translation
(See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that¹ we should be called God’s children – and indeed² we are!³ For this reason⁴ the world does not know us: because it did not know him.⁵

<< 1 John 2:29

1 John 3:2 >>

Join 137,028+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Sin and the Child of God

The Imperative of Love

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning