Read & explore together
Love One Another
This passage says the message heard from the beginning is to love one another. It treats hatred seriously, points to Jesus as the pattern of love, and links loving action with confidence, prayer, and obedience before God.
Understanding the passage
The setting of these words
In this part of the letter, love is contrasted with Cain’s violence and with the world’s hatred. The passage then explains love through Jesus laying down his life, calls for practical compassion, and joins assurance before God with prayer, obedience, belief in Jesus Christ, and the Spirit.
1 John 3:11–24Main takeaway
This passage teaches that believing in Jesus Christ and loving one another belong together, and that love is shown in truthful action and obedience before God.
Follow the letter’s teaching
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01The message and the contrastThe message is clear: we should love one another. Cain is given as the opposite example, because he killed his brother and his deeds were evil while his brother’s were righteous.
Explanation
The message is clear: we should love one another. Cain is given as the opposite example, because he killed his brother and his deeds were evil while his brother’s were righteous. So the letter says believers should not be surprised if the world hates them.
02Love and life, hatred and deathLove for the brothers shows a passage from death into life. Refusing love means remaining in death.
Explanation
Love for the brothers shows a passage from death into life. Refusing love means remaining in death. The passage speaks strongly about hatred by calling the one who hates his brother a murderer, and says eternal life does not remain in a murderer.
03Love in deed and truthLove is known because Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and this becomes the pattern for loving the brothers.
Explanation
Love is known because Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and this becomes the pattern for loving the brothers. The passage then gives an everyday test: if someone has this world’s goods and sees a brother in need, closing compassion does not match God’s love.
04Assurance, prayer, and obedienceLoving in deed and truth helps assure hearts before God. If the heart condemns, God is greater and knows all things.
Explanation
Loving in deed and truth helps assure hearts before God. If the heart condemns, God is greater and knows all things. If the heart does not condemn, there is boldness toward God. The passage also says receiving what is asked is linked with keeping his commandments and doing what is pleasing in his sight.
05God’s commandment and his SpiritThe commandment is stated plainly: believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another.
Explanation
The commandment is stated plainly: believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another. The one who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in that person. The passage says we know he remains in us by the Spirit he gave.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01Why is Cain used as a contrast to the message of love?
Compare the command to love one another with Cain killing his brother, and notice the difference between evil deeds and righteous deeds.
02What practical situation tests whether love is real?
Look for the person who has the world’s goods, sees a brother in need, and must decide whether compassion stays open or closed.
03How does this passage connect boldness toward God, asking, and keeping his commandments?
Trace the movement from a heart that does not condemn, to boldness toward God, to receiving what is asked because his commandments are kept and what pleases him is done.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
1 John 3:11–24
11For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another—
12unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
13Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.
15Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
16By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?
18My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
19And by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him,
20because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;
22so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.
23This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.
24He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.