My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Parallel translations
- WEB My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and 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 2:15–16If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
- Rom 12:9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
- 1 Pet 1:22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
- 1 Cor 13:4–7Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
- Gal 5:13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
- Gal 6:1–2Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
- Eph 4:1–3I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
- Matt 25:41–45Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
- Eph 4:15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
- 1 Th 1:3Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
- 1 Jn 2:1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
- 2 Jn 1:1–15The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
- Ezek 33:31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
- Exod 33:21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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.