1 John 3:18

My Christian friends, we can’t just say that we love people and then do nothing. No. We have to love people properly, and do things to help them.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

In Context

17Think about this. Some of us Christians have food and money. Well, if we see another Christian that needs help, like maybe they don’t have enough food or clothes or something, then we have to feel sorry for them, and we have to help them. If we don’t do that, then we are not loving people in the way that God loves them.

19If we love people properly, then we are living God’s way, and we will know for sure that we belong to God. And if we ever feel shame, and if we think maybe we don’t belong to God, we can remember that God knows everything, and he says that we belong to him. Then we will feel happy inside ourselves. We have to trust what God says, not the way we feel.

Read all of 1 John 3

Cross References

Matthew 25:41Then I will turn to the people on my left-hand side, and I will say to them, ‘Get away from me, you mob that God will punish. Go into that big fire that burns for ever. God made that fire for all the bad spirits and for their boss, the devil. And you have to go there too.

Romans 12:9Don’t just pretend to love other people. You have to love them properly. That means you have to hate everything that is bad for them and love everything that is good for them.

Galatians 5:13You see, my Christian friends, God picked you to be people that are free from the Jewish law. But you have to be free in the right way. You can’t just do anything you like, anything that makes you feel good. Instead of that, you have to love each other and do things to help each other.

Ephesians 4:1So now, even though I’m in jail because I follow Jesus, I’m asking you strongly to live the right way. You see, God picked you to be his own people, so you have to live his way.

1 Thessalonians 1:3Whenever we talk about you to God, our father, we remember the good things that you do. You properly believe in Jesus Christ, and you love him very much, so you do those good things. And you love other people too, so you work hard to help them. You are really sure that our leader, Jesus Christ, will come back for you, so you keep on following him, no matter what other people do to you.

Matthew Henry on 1 John 3:15-20

Brotherly Love. ( a. d. 80.) 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… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study 1 John 3:18