1 John 3:10-18

New King James Version

The Imperative of Love^(A)

¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, ^(B)that we should love one another, ¹² not as ^(C)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if ^(D)the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ^[a]his brother abides in death. ^15 (E)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(F)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

^16 (G)By this we know love, ^(H)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But ^(I)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸ My little children, ^(J)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.