1 John 3:16–18
To love is to give your life and help the needy, in deed and not just word
Study it word by word16By this we have come to know love: that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him?
18Little children, let us not love in word or with the tongue, but in deed and truth.
In its context
14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.
15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
…
19By this we will know that we are of the truth, and before him we will reassure our heart
20because if our heart condemns us, we know that God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Its words in the original
- ἐγνώκαμενegnōkamen· know
Know, come to know, realize. Said of a man and a woman, have sexual relations.
- ἀγάπηνagapēn· love
Love.
- ψυχὴνpsychēn· soul, life
Soul: a person's life, the person himself.
- ἔθηκενethēken· put, lay
Put, place, lay down.
- ὀφείλομενopheilomen· ought, owe
Owe; ought, be obliged.
- ἀδελφῶνadelphōn· brother
Brother. Also a close relative, a fellow countryman and, among believers, a brother in the faith.
- ἔχῃechēi· have
Have, possess, hold.
- βίονbion· life, livelihood
Livelihood, means of life; also life.
- κόσμουkosmou· world
World: what God created; also humanity, and humanity living with its back turned to God.
- θεωρῇtheōrēi· see, watch
Look at, watch, observe.
- χρείανchreian· need
Need; what is lacking.
- κλείσῃkleisēi· shut, lock
Shut, lock.
- σπλάγχναsplanchna· inward parts, compassion
The inward parts, where compassion was felt; deep compassion.
- θεοῦtheou· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".
- μένειmenei· remain
Stay, remain.
- ΤεκνίαTeknia· little child
Little children; an affectionate way of addressing the disciples.
- ἀγαπῶμενagapōmen· love
Love: to seek the good of the other, even of someone who does not deserve it.
- λόγῳlogōi· word
Word, saying, message; also reason, cause, account.
- γλώσσῃglōssēi· tongue
Tongue.
- ἔργῳergōi· work
Work, deed, what someone does.
- ἀληθείᾳalētheiai· truth
Truth.