1 John 3:19

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ We, for our part, know that we have passed from death to life because we keep loving the brothers. The person who fails to keep on loving is still under the power of death. ¹⁴ *We* know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [his] brother abides in death. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn't love his brother remains in death. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not lovedoesn't love his brother">[fn] remains in death.1 John 2:9-11;">[xr] ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death unto life, by this, that we love our brethren. He who loveth not his brother, in death continueth. ¹⁴ We know that we have turned from death unto life, by this, that we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother, remaineth in death. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. ¹⁴ We are conscious that we have come out of death into life because of our love for the brothers. He who has no love is still in death. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. ¹⁴ We know that we are translated from death vnto life, because we loue the brethren: he that loueth not his brother, abideth in death.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hereby: 1 John 3:14, 1 John 1:8, John 13:35, John 18:37

shall: 1 John 3:21, Isaiah 32:17, Hebrews 6:10, Hebrews 6:11, Hebrews 10:22

assure: Gr. persuade, Romans 4:21, Romans 8:38, 2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 11:13

Reciprocal: Job 8:6 - thou wert Job 11:15 - lift up Job 31:37 - as a Psalms 119:56 - because Proverbs 20:27 - spirit Daniel 6:22 - forasmuch Matthew 28:20 - them Luke 7:5 - and John 19:27 - took Romans 2:15 - accusing Romans 8:16 - with our Romans 9:1 - my conscience Romans 14:5 - persuaded 2 Corinthians 1:12 - our rejoicing 2 Corinthians 5:1 - we know Galatians 6:4 - rejoicing Colossians 2:2 - of the full Hebrews 10:19 - Having 1 Peter 3:8 - love as brethren 2 Peter 1:10 - to make 1 John 2:3 - hereby 1 John 4:17 - we may

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
And Man said, The woman, whom thou hast given [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me gave me fruit from that tree. So I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:12
And the man said: 'The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.'

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree and I took it.

Genesis 3:12
And Adam said: The woman whom thou gauest [to be] with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I dyd eate.

Genesis 3:12
Then the man saide, The woman which thou gauest to be with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I did eate.

Genesis 3:12
And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:12
The man answered, "The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
And God said to him, Who told thee that thou wast naked, unless thou hast eaten of the tree concerning which I charged thee of it alone not to eat?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And hereby we know that we are of the truth,.... By the saints loving one another in deed and in truth, they know, as the cause is known by the effect, that they are of God, who is the true God, the God of truth, and cannot lie, and is truth itself; that they are the children of God, and are born of him, since they love those that are, and every like loves its like; and that they are of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; that they belong to him, are his, since they have his Spirit, as appears by his fruits in them, and this, among the rest, love to the brethren; and that they are his disciples, which others, even all men know, as well as themselves, by their mutual brotherly love; and that they are of the Gospel, which is truth, and the word of truth; that they are begotten, and born again, according to the will and grace of God by it, and are on the side of it, and can do nothing against, but all for it; and that they are true, sincere, and upright persons, true believers in Christ, whose faith works by love, and are real lovers of him, and his, since they love not in word only, but in deed and in truth.

And shall assure our hearts before him; or "persuade our hearts": arrive to a full assurance of faith, hope, and understanding, that we are of the truth, do belong to God, are loved by him with an everlasting love, are chosen by him unto salvation, and are his adopted and regenerated ones, having passed from death to life, of which brotherly love is a sure evidence, 1 John 3:14. Some render the words "shall pacify", or "make our hearts tranquil": or "quiet"; this only the blood of Christ can do, and does, being sprinkled on the conscience: he only has a quiet mind, or true peace of conscience, that looks to the righteousness of Christ for justification, and deals with his blood for the full and free remission of his sins: it is true indeed, that one that loves his brother heartily and sincerely, has peace of mind in it, though not for it; when, on the other hand, there is no peace to the wicked man, that hates his brother; for where there is envying, malice, hatred, and strife, there is no true peace, pleasure, and comfort, but confusion, uneasiness, distraction, and every evil work. Or this passage may refer to that holy confidence before God, which true believers in Christ, and cordial lovers of the brethren, have; both now at the throne of grace, where they can come with boldness, intrepidity, and freedom, to ask for what they want, and confidently believe they shall receive what is proper and needful for them; and also hereafter, at the throne of judgment, and in the day of judgment, when they shall have boldness, and not be ashamed before the Judge at his coming; who will particularly take notice of their love in feeding, clothing, and visiting the least of his brethren, which he takes as done to himself.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And hereby - Greek, “by this;” that is, by the fact that we have true love to others, and that we manifest it by a readiness to make sacrifices to do them good.

We know that we are of the truth - That we are not deceived in what we profess to be; that is, that we are true Christians. To be of the truth stands opposed to cherishing false and delusive hopes.

And shall assure our hearts before him - Before God, or before the Saviour. In the margin, as in the Greek, the word rendered “shall assure,” is “persuade.” The Greek word is used as meaning to “persuade,” e. g., to the reception and belief of truth; then to persuade anyone who has unkind or prejudiced feelings toward us, or to bring over to kind feelings, “to conciliate,” and thus to pacify or quiet. The meaning here seems to be, that we shall in this way allay the doubts and trouble of our minds, and produce a state of quiet and peace, to wit, by the evidence that we are of the truth. Our consciences are often restless and troubled in view of past guilt; but, in thus furnishing the evidence of true piety by love to others, we shall pacify an accusing mind, and conciliate our own hearts, and persuade or convince ourselves that we are truly the children of God. See Robinson, Lexicon, sub voce πείθω peithō, I. b. In other words, though a person’s heart may condemn him as guilty, and though he knows that God sees and condemns the sins of his past life, yet the agitations and alarms of his mind may be calmed down and soothed by evidence that he is a child of God, and that he will not be finally condemned. A true Christian does not attempt to conceal the fact that there is much for which his own heart and conscience might justly accuse him but he finds, notwithstanding all this, evidence that he is a child of God, and he is persuaded that all will be well.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. Hereby we know that we are of the truth — That we have the true religion of the Lord Jesus, and shall assure our hearts-be persuaded in our consciences, that we have the truth as it is in Jesus; as no man can impose upon himself by imagining he loves when he does not: he may make empty professions to others, but if he loves either God or man, he knows it because he feels it; and love unfelt is not love, it is word or tongue. This the apostle lays down as a test of a man's Christianity, and it is the strongest and most infallible test that can be given. He that loves feels that he does love; and he who feels that he loves God and man has true religion; and he who is careful to show the fruits of this love, in obedience to God and humane acts to man, gives others the fullest proof that he has the loving mind that was in Jesus.