Lectionary Calendar
Monday, May 26th, 2025
the Sixth Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 John 3:18

My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Kindness;   Liberality;   Love;   Poor;   Righteous;   Righteousness;   Sincerity;   Thompson Chain Reference - False;   John, Beloved Disciple;   Profession;   Religion;   Religion, True-False;   Sincerity;   True Religion;   The Topic Concordance - Love;   Truth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Love to Man;   Sincerity;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Body;   Mercy;   Truth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Friend, Friendship;   Truth;   Wealth;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Union to Christ;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Alms;   Double-Tongued;   John, the Letters of;   Love;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Assurance;   Brotherly Love;   John, Epistles of;   John, Theology of;   Kingdom of God;   Truth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Formalism;   John Epistles of;   Numbers;   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Tongue;   Tongue ;   Unity (2);   Word;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - John the Baptist;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Johannine Theology, the;   John, the Epistles of;   Love;   Poor;   Ten Commandments, the;   Tongue;   Truth;   Word;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for July 28;   Every Day Light - Devotion for November 5;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.
King James Version (1611)
My little children, let vs not loue in word, neither in tongue, but indeede and in trueth.
King James Version
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
English Standard Version
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
New American Standard Bible
Little children, let's not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
New Century Version
My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.
THE MESSAGE
My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Berean Standard Bible
Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
Contemporary English Version
Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it.
Complete Jewish Bible
Children, let us love not with words and talk, but with actions and in reality!
Darby Translation
Children, let us not love with word, nor with tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
My litle children, let vs not loue in worde, neither in tongue onely, but in deede and in trueth.
George Lamsa Translation
My children, let us not love one another in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Good News Translation
My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
Lexham English Bible
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Literal Translation
My little children, let us not love in word, or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Amplified Bible
Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].
American Standard Version
My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.
Bible in Basic English
My little children, do not let our love be in word and in tongue, but let it be in act and in good faith.
Hebrew Names Version
My little children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
International Standard Version
Little children, we must stop loving in word and in tongue, but instead lovelove
">[fn] in actionwork">[fn] and in truth.Ezekiel 33:31; Romans 12:9; Ephesians 4:15; James 2:15; 1 Peter 1:22;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
My sons, let us not love one another in words and in tongue, but in works and in truth.
Murdock Translation
My children, let us not love one another in words and in tongue, but in acts and in truth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
My babes, let vs not loue in worde, neither in tongue: but in deede and in veritie.
English Revised Version
[My] little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.
World English Bible
My little children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
My beloved children, let us love not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Weymouth's New Testament
Dear children, let us not love in words only nor with the lips, but in deed and in truth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Mi litle sones, loue we not in word, nethir in tunge, but in werk and treuthe.
Update Bible Version
[My] Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.
Webster's Bible Translation
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
New English Translation
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.
New King James Version
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
New Living Translation
Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
New Life Bible
My children, let us not love with words or in talk only. Let us love by what we do and in truth.
New Revised Standard
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Dear children! Let us not be loving in word, nor yet with the tongue, but in deed and truth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
My little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Revised Standard Version
Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
My babes let vs not love in worde nether in tonge: but with dede and in veritie:
Young's Literal Translation
My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in word and in truth!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
My litle children, let vs not loue with worde nether with tonge, but with ye dede, and with the trueth.
Mace New Testament (1729)
my dear children, let not our love be only in the language of our lips, but in the real effects of the heart.
Simplified Cowboy Version
A cowboy's love isn't all talk and no walk. Our love is true and can be seen in everything we do.

Contextual Overview

14 We know that we have left death and have come into life. We know this because we love each other as brothers and sisters. Anyone who does not love is still in death. 15 Anyone who hates a fellow believer is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life. 16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters. 17 Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God's love is not in that person's heart. 18 My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do. 19That's how we know we belong to the way of truth. And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God, because God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

My: 1 John 2:1

let: Exodus 33:21, Matthew 25:41-45, Romans 12:9, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Galatians 5:13, Galatians 6:1, Galatians 6:2, Ephesians 4:1-3, Ephesians 4:15, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, James 2:15, James 2:16, 1 Peter 1:22

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 10:19 - General Judges 19:20 - let all thy wants Ruth 2:16 - General 2 Chronicles 28:15 - clothed Job 31:19 - General Proverbs 3:9 - General Proverbs 19:7 - yet Isaiah 32:17 - quietness Isaiah 58:7 - to deal Ezekiel 33:31 - for with Luke 7:5 - and Luke 7:47 - she Luke 10:27 - and thy John 14:21 - that hath John 19:27 - took Acts 9:39 - and showing Acts 16:34 - when Romans 15:18 - by word 1 Corinthians 5:8 - but 2 Corinthians 6:6 - love 2 Corinthians 6:13 - I speak Philippians 4:8 - are true Colossians 3:17 - in word 2 Thessalonians 2:17 - in Hebrews 6:10 - work Hebrews 10:24 - love James 3:17 - hypocrisy 1 Peter 3:8 - love as brethren 1 John 4:21 - General 2 John 1:1 - whom 3 John 1:1 - whom

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
So the Lord God said to the snake, "You did this very bad thing, so bad things will happen to you. It will be worse for you than for any other animal. You must crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. You will bite her child's foot, but he will crush your head."
Joshua 23:13
the Lord your God will not help you defeat your enemies. They will become like a trap for you. They will cause you pain—like smoke and dust in your eyes. And you will be forced to leave this good land. The Lord your God gave you this land. But you can lose it if you don't obey this command.
Job 1:21
and said, "When I was born into this world, I was naked and had nothing. When I die and leave this world, I will be naked and have nothing. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord !"
Job 5:5
Hungry people ate all his crops, even the grain growing among the thorns, and greedy people took all he had.
Job 31:40
If I ever did any of these bad things, let thorns and weeds grow in my fields instead of wheat and barley!" Job's words are finished.
Psalms 90:3
You bring people into this world, and you change them into dust again.
Psalms 104:2
You wear light like a robe. You spread out the skies like a curtain.
Proverbs 22:5
Evil people are trapped by many troubles, but those who want to live avoid them.
Proverbs 24:31
Weeds were growing everywhere! Wild vines covered the ground, and the wall around the vineyard was broken and falling down.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue,.... Which though it holds good of love to God, and to Jesus Christ, yet here is to be understood of love to the brethren, as the context shows; and so the Syriac version reads, "let us not love one another in word", c. that is, without the heart, or with a double heart speaking one thing with the lip, and designing another thing in the heart; speaking peaceably with the mouth, and with the heart laying wait; or we should not love in this manner "only"; and so the Arabic version of De Dieu adds. It is very lawful, and right to express our love to one another, and to all men in words, to give good words, and use courteous language, and speak in a kind, tender, and affectionate manner, and especially to persons in distress; but this should not be all, it will be of no avail to say to such, be warmed and filled, and give them nothing but these good words, nothing to warm and fill them with; see James 2:15;

but in deed and in truth; for true love is a laborious and operative grace, hence we read of the work and labour of love; it shows itself by the saints serving one another, in spirituals; as by bearing one another's burdens, forbearing with, and forgiving one another, praying for each other, and building up one another on their most holy faith; exhorting each other to the duties of religion, and not suffering sins upon one another, but admonish in love, and restore with meekness; and in temporals, distributing to the necessities of the saints, ministering: to them of their worldly substance, and supplying their daily wants: and this is loving "in deed", or "in work"; this is actual love, love in fact, and what is apparent and evident: and it is "in truth", when it is in reality, and not in show only; and when it is cordially and heartily done, with cheerfulness, and without grudging.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue - By mere profession; by merely sayinG that we love each other. See 1 Peter 1:22.

But in deed and in truth - In such acts as shall show that our professed love is sincere and real. Let us do the deed of love, whether anything is said about it or not. See the notes at Matthew 6:3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. My little children — τεκνιαμου, My beloved children, let us not love in word-in merely allowing the general doctrine of love to God and man to be just and right;

Neither in tongue — In making professions of love, and of a charitable and humane disposition, and resting there; but in deed- by humane and merciful acts;

And in truth. — Feeling the disposition of which we speak. There is a good saying in Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 145, 4, on this point: "If love consisted in word only, then love ceaseth as soon as the word is pronounced. Such was the love between Balak and Balaam. But if love consisteth not in word, it cannot be dissolved; such was the love of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the patriarchs which were before them."


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile