Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
Parallel translations
- WEB Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;
- KJV Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
- BSB Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,
- NASB Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
- NLT Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.
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
When our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God. A clear conscience brings boldness in his presence.
Overview
The flip side of the previous verses: when our conscience is at peace, we can approach God with boldness. This confidence is not self-righteousness but assurance born of genuine faith and love. It opens the way to confident prayer, described in the following verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Jn 2:28Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
- Heb 4:16Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.
- 2 Cor 1:12For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.
- Ps 101:2I will be careful to live a blameless life. When will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a blameless heart.
- Ps 7:3–5Yahweh, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands,
- 1 Jn 5:14This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
- Heb 10:22let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water,
- Job 22:26For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and shall lift up your face to God.
- 1 Jn 4:17In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.
- 1 Cor 4:4For I know nothing against myself. Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord.
- Job 27:6I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
- 1 Tim 2:8I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and doubting.
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 3:21 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.