Bible Strands
1 John 3:18
Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author addresses believers as "Little children" while moving from a warning about withheld compassion to a directive on verifying genuine faith. The words — ἀγαπῶμεν (agapōmen) = we may love, and λόγῳ (logō) = in word. The text explicitly rejects love confined to verbal expression. The thread — The passage connects to James 2:15’s depiction of unmet clothing and food needs, Romans 12:9’s requirement for sincere love, and 1 Peter 1:22’s instruction for genuine brotherly affection. It directly links the material compassion of 1 John 3:17 to the truth-verification of 1 John 3:19. Why it lands — The text demands that love be measured by observable deeds and verifiable reality rather than verbal claims. It requires readers to demonstrate commitment through concrete action.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Cross-references
- James 2:15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
- Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
- 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
- Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
- Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
- Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
- Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.