1 John 3:20 (DBY)

Passage

that if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:18 Children, let us not love with word, nor with tongue, but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:19 And hereby we shall know that we are of the truth, and shall persuade our hearts before him

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

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

1 John 3:22 and whatsoever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and practise the things which are pleasing in his sight.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "condemn", "heart", "greater", "than", and "knows". 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 "And hereby we shall know that we..." 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.