1 John 3:20 (LSB)

Passage

in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Nearby Context

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.

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

1 John 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from 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", "whatever", "heart", "condemns", "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 by this we will know that..." into verse 21's "Beloved if our heart does not condemn...", 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.