1 John 3:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

NIV: The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

NASB: The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

CSB: The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.

NLT: Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

KJV: And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

NKJV: Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

This final verse of chapter 3 concludes with a reminder that obedience is tied to "abiding" in fellowship with God. To abide or continue in God includes obedience, believing in Jesus as Lord, and loving one another. John is simply repeating the teaching of Jesus, who named as the "greatest commandment" to love God, and the next greatest to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–40).

These final two verses of chapter 3 also mention all three persons of the Trinity. Verse 23 refers to Jesus the Son. This verse adds God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Though some have argued the doctrine of the Trinity was "added" long after the New Testament's writing, 1 John offers examples in which Father, Son, and Spirit are all three mentioned together as part of the triune God.

This verse does offer a powerful "test" of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. Namely, that the influence of the Holy Spirit is proof that a person has been saved. Since Christians can sin, and can choose not to "abide" in His will, a lack of this influence is not always a sign of being an unbeliever. However, those who show no signs of the influence of the Holy Spirit fail to give evidence that they are part of God's family.

First John 3:19–24 concludes chapter three by connecting our confidence in prayer with our obedience to God. While God's love is unconditional, and His salvation is secure, His approval is based on whether or not we obey Him. Feelings of conviction are not only a sign that we are truly His children, they give us opportunity to correct our behavior. As mentioned earlier in the chapter, love is not only a primary command, it is a key sign of Christian belief.

The third chapter of 1 John focuses mostly on the concept of love. Because of His love, God not only calls us His children, He actually makes us His children. John also explains how sin, including hate, is never the result of a proper relationship with God. Christians, in contrast to the world, are supposed to do more than simply ''feel'' love; we are to act on it, as well

Chapters 1 and 2 introduced the stark differences between those who truly have fellowship with Christ, as opposed to those who are ''in darkness.'' Chapter 3 continues this discussion, with a particular emphasis on love. This serves as a bridge, between John's descriptions of lives lived abiding either in darkness or light, to an explanation of how God's faithfulness gives us confidence as Christian believers.

First John seems to assume that the reader is familiar with the gospel. Rather than re-state these facts, John is concerned with building confidence in Christian believers. At the same time, his words encourage believers to examine their own lives for signs of their relationship with Christ. This letter also challenges false teachers and their incorrect claims about Jesus. Many themes are shared with the Gospel of John.