1 John 3:10

So this is how we can know which people belong to God, and which people belong to the devil. If somebody does not live the right way, then we know that they don’t belong to God. And if somebody does not love other Christians, then we know that they don’t belong to God either.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

9If anyone belongs to God, they don’t keep on doing bad things. It’s like they are one of God’s kids, and God gave them new life. So they can’t keep on doing bad things.

11Yes, I’m telling you, we Christians have to love each other. You already know that message. You heard it from the beginning, right from the time you first heard about Jesus.

Read all of 1 John 3

Cross References

John 8:47The people in God’s family listen properly to his words. But you are not in his family, so you don’t listen to him.”

Romans 8:16And his spirit in us talks to our own spirits, and he tells us, “That is right, you really are God’s kids.”

1 John 2:9But think about this. Maybe somebody will say, “I live in God’s light, I live God’s way.” But maybe that person hates another Christian. Then that person is lying. They are not really living God’s way. It’s like they are still living in the dark.

1 John 3:7My friends, that other mob are telling you lies. They reckon that people can keep on doing bad things, and that God will still say they are all right. But that’s not true. Don’t believe them. I’m telling you, God’s people have to live the right way, just like Jesus always lived the right way, and then God will say they are all right.

1 John 4:3But if they do not believe that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human being, they do not belong to God, and they do not have God’s spirit in them. Those people have a bad spirit working in them. That bad spirit is the enemy of Jesus Christ. You know we told you that Jesus’s enemy will come into the world. Well, that enemy is already here in the world, and he gets people to tell lies about Jesus.

Matthew Henry on 1 John 3:5-11

The Mark of God's Children. ( a. d. 80.) 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this… Read the whole commentary →

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