If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who says he is in the light and hates his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
- KJV He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
- NKJV He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
- NASB The one who says that he is in the Light and yet hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now.
- NLT If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Claiming to be in the light while hating a fellow believer proves one is still in darkness. Love is the test of true light.
Overview
John applies the light/darkness theme to relationships: hatred of a brother exposes a person as still in spiritual darkness, whatever they profess. Love and hatred reveal one's true spiritual condition. This is a central test of authentic faith running through the letter.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Jn 4:20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
- 1 Jn 2:11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
- 1 Jn 3:13–17So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.
- Ps 82:5They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
- 1 Cor 13:1–3If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
- 2 Pet 1:9But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
- 1 Jn 2:4If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
- 1 Jn 1:6If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
- John 9:41“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
- Rom 2:18–21if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Jesus is the Word of life made manifest, the propitiation for our sins, the Son in whom is eternal life — 'that you may know that you have eternal life.'
How 1 John 2:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.