1 John 3:13 (LSB)

Passage

Do not marvel, brothers, if the world hates you.

Nearby Context

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

1 John 3:12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

1 John 3:13 Do not marvel, brothers, if the world hates you.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. The one who does not love abides in death.

1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "marvel", "brothers", and "hates". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "marvel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "not as Cain who was of the..." into verse 14's "We know that we have passed out...", so "world" and "marvel" 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 "world" and "marvel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.