1 John 3:11 (ASV)

Passage

For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:

Nearby Context

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:

1 John 3:12 not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother`s righteous.

1 John 3:13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "message", "heard", "beginning", "should", "love", and "another". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "message" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "In this the children of God are..." into verse 12's "not as Cain was of the evil...", so "message" and "heard" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "message" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.