1 John 3:20 (WEB)

Passage

because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Nearby Context

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,

1 John 3:20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward 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", "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 know that we..." into verse 21's "Beloved if our hearts don t 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.