1 John 3:18 (LSB)

Passage

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:16 By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

1 John 3:19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him

1 John 3:20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "little", "children", "love", "word", "tongue", "deed", and "truth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "little" and "children", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "But whoever has the world s goods..." into verse 19's "And by this we will know that...", so "little" and "children" 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 "little" and "children" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.