1 John 3:14-24

The hatred of the world is to be expected, but within the Christian brotherhood there must be love, manifesting itself in deeds of self-sacrifice in imitation of Christ's love. If we possess this spirit we shall be able to silence inward misgivings as to our standing before God, because we obey Him in that we believe in Christ and love one another. Such obedience ensures His indwelling, attested by the gift of His Spirit.

1 John 3:14. The teaching is the same as in 1 John 2:9 f., except that the metaphor has been changed, and the soul's lack of correspondence with its spiritual environment is described as death.

1 John 3:15 a. An echo of Matthew 5:21 f.

1 John 3:16. In Christ and His Cross love at length found a perfect manifestation, and human conduct in consequence was given a new standard.

1 John 3:19 b, 1 John 3:20. A true parallelism would be obtained and difficulties in the original relieved if, in harmony with several minor MSS., because was omitted in 1 John 3:20 b. The rendering would then be: We shall reassure our heart before Him, because, if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart. In any case the teaching is that God knows us and all the conditions of our life better than we ourselves do. Hence there will be occasions when God will not endorse the condemnation we pass upon ourselves. Heart is here almost equivalent to conscience.

1 John 3:23. name is in this and kindred phrases almost equivalent to revealed nature, so that to believe in the name of Christ is to commit ourselves to Christ as He stands expressed in the Gospel.

1 John 3:24. hereby: i.e. by the inward activity of His Spirit; the word refers to the close of the verse. The Holy Spirit has been given by Christ to His Church, and has been bestowed on each individual believer.