1 John 3:20 (ASV)

Passage

because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:18 [My] Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.

1 John 3:19 Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him:

1 John 3:20 because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God;

1 John 3:22 and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "condemn", "heart", "greater", "than", and "knoweth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "condemn", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Hereby shall we know that we are..." into verse 21's "Beloved if our heart condemn us not...", so "all things" and "condemn" 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 "all things" and "condemn" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.