1 John 5:2

Amplified Bible

By this we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands.

King James Version (1611)
By this wee know that wee loue the children of God, when we loue God and keepe his commandements.

King James Version
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

English Standard Version
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

New American Standard Bible
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments.

New Century Version
This is how we know we love God's children: when we love God and obey his commands.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.

Berean Standard Bible
By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.

Contemporary English Version
If we love and obey God, we know that we will love his children.

Complete Jewish Bible
Here is how we know that we love God's children: when we love God, we also do what he commands.

Darby Translation
Hereby know we that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

Easy-to-Read Version
How do we know that we love God's children? We know because we love God and we obey his commands.

Geneva Bible (1587)
In this we know that we loue the children of God, when we loue God, and keepe his commandements.

George Lamsa Translation
And by this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Good News Translation
This is how we know that we love God's children: it is by loving God and obeying his commands.

Lexham English Bible
By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and keep his commandments.

Literal Translation
By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.

American Standard Version
Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments.

Bible in Basic English
In this way, we are certain that we have love for the children of God, when we have love for God and keep his laws.

Hebrew Names Version
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his mitzvot.

International Standard Version
This is how we know that we love God's children: we love God and keep his commandments.

Etheridge Translation
And by this we know that we love the children of Aloha, when we love Aloha, and work his commandments.

Murdock Translation
And by this we know, that we love the children of God, when we love God, and follow his commandments.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
By this we knowe that we loue the chyldren of God, when we loue God, and kepe his commaundementes.

English Revised Version
Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and do his commandments.

World English Bible
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Weymouth's New Testament
The fact that we love God Himself, and obey His commands, is a proof that we love God's children.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In this thing we knowen, that we louen the children of God, whanne we louen God, and don his maundementis.

Update Bible Version
Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments.

Webster's Bible Translation
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

New English Translation
By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments.

New King James Version
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

New Living Translation
We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments.

New Life Bible
This is the way we know we love God's children. It is when we love God and obey His Word.

New Revised Standard
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Hereby, perceive we, that we love the children of God, as soon as, God, we love, and, his commandments, we are doing.

Douay-Rheims Bible
In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep his commandments.

Revised Standard Version
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
In this we knowe yt we love the children of god whe we love god and kepe his comaudementes.

Young's Literal Translation
in this we know that we love the children of God, when we may love God, and His commands may keep;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
By this we knowe that we loue Gods children, whan we loue God, and kepe his commaundementes.

Mace New Testament (1729)
by this we may know that we love the children of God, if we love God, and keep his commandments.

Simplified Cowboy Version
We can know we love God's kids if we love God and do what he says to do.

Contextual Overview

¹Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves the child born of Him. ²By this we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments.³For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. ⁴For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]. ⁵Who is the one who is victorious and overcomes the world? It is the one who believes and recognizes the fact that Jesus is the Son of God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 John 3:22-24, 1 John 4:21, John 13:34, John 13:35, John 15:17

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:9 - General Deuteronomy 5:10 - love me Deuteronomy 10:12 - love Deuteronomy 11:22 - to love Deuteronomy 14:1 - the children Deuteronomy 26:16 - keep Deuteronomy 30:16 - to love Joshua 22:5 - love Judges 5:31 - them that 1 Kings 3:3 - loved Psalms 97:10 - Ye that Psalms 116:1 - love Ezekiel 18:5 - if Daniel 9:4 - the great Matthew 22:37 - General Matthew 25:40 - Inasmuch John 8:42 - If John 14:15 - General Romans 8:28 - them Romans 12:10 - kindly 1 Corinthians 7:19 - but 1 Corinthians 8:3 - love Philemon 1:5 - toward the Lord 1 Peter 1:22 - unto 1 John 3:10 - the children of God 1 John 3:14 - We know Revelation 12:17 - which

Cross-References

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 2:15
So the LORD God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

Genesis 2:23
Then Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

Malachi 2:15
But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.

Matthew 19:4
He replied, "Have you never read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,

Mark 10:6
"But from the beginning of creation God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE.

Acts 17:26
"And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

By this we know that we are the children God,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "by this know that we love God"; which, in connection with what follows, makes a tautology, and is a proving "idem per idem": whereas the apostle's view is to show when love to the saints is right; and that is,

when we love God, and keep his commandments: love to the brethren may arise from such a cause, as may show that it is not brotherly love, or of a spiritual kind; it may arise from natural relation, or civil friendship, or from a benefit or favour received from them, and from some natural external excellency seen in them; and a man may do acts of love and kindness to the brethren, from what may be called good nature in himself, or with sinister views; but true love to the brethren springs from love to God: such who love the saints aright, and by which they may know they do so, they love them because they themselves love God, and in obedience to his command; they love them because they belong to God, and are the objects of his love; because his grace is wrought in them, and his image stamped upon them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

By this we know that we love the children of God ... - This is repeating the same truth in another form. “As it is universally true that if we love Him who has begotten us, we shall also love His children, or our Christian brethren, so it is true also that if we love His children it will follow that we love Him.” In other places, the apostle says that we may know that we love God if we love those who bear His image, 1 John 3:14. He here says, that there is another way of determining what we are. We may have undoubted evidence that we love God, and from that, as the basis of an argument, we may infer that we have true love to His children. Of the fact that we may have evidence that we love God, apart from that which we derive from our love to His children, there can be no doubt. We may be conscious of it; we may find pleasure in meditating on His perfections; we may feel sure that we are moved to obey Him by true attachment to Him, as a child may in reference to a father. But, it may be asked, how can it be inferred from this that we truly love His children? Is it not easier to ascertain this of itself than it is to determine whether we love God? Compare 1 John 4:20. To this it may be answered, that we may love Christians from many motives: we may love them as personal friends; we may love them because they belong to our church, or sect, or party; we may love them because they are naturally amiable: but the apostle says here, that when we are conscious that an attachment does exist toward Christians, we may ascertain that it is genuine, or that it does not proceed from any improper motive, by the fact that we love God. We shall then love Him as His children, whatever other grounds of affection there may be toward them.

And keep his commandments - See the notes at John 14:15.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 John 5:2. By this we know that we love the children of God — Our love of God's followers is a proof that we love God. Our love to God is the cause why we love his children, and our keeping the commandments of God is the proof that we love him.