1 John 3:14 (WEB)

Passage

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

1 John 3:13 Don’t be surprised, my 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. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.

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

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "passed", "death", "life", "love", "brothers", and "doesn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "passed" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Don t be surprised my brothers if..." into verse 15's "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer...", so "passed" and "death" 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 "passed" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.