1 John 3:17 (WEB)

Passage

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?

Nearby Context

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.

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

1 John 3:18 My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "whoever", "goods", "sees", "brother", "need", "closes", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "whoever", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "By this we know love because he..." into verse 18's "My little children let s not love...", so "world" and "whoever" 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 "whoever" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.