My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
Parallel translations
- KJV My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
- BSB Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
- NKJV My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
- NASB Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
- NLT Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
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
We are to love not merely in words but in deed and truth. Genuine love expresses itself in action.
Overview
John exhorts his readers to a love that is real and active, not confined to speech. True love shows itself in concrete deeds and sincere truth. This summarizes the preceding call to practical compassion and prepares for the assurance that such genuine love brings to the conscience.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Jas 2:15–16And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,
- Rom 12:9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
- 1 Pet 1:22Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently:
- 1 Cor 13:4–7Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,
- Gal 5:13For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.
- Gal 6:1–2Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.
- Eph 4:1–3I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
- Matt 25:41–45Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;
- Eph 4:15but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;
- 1 Th 1:3remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
- 1 Jn 2:1My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
- 2 Jn 1:1–15The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all those who know the truth;
- Ezek 33:31They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.
- Exod 33:21Yahweh also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 3:18 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.