1 John 3:18 (YLT)

Passage

My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in word and in truth!

Nearby Context

1 John 3:16 in this we have known the love, because he for us his life did lay down, and we ought for the brethren the lives to lay down;

1 John 3:17 and whoever may have the goods of the world, and may view his brother having need, and may shut up his bowels from him--how doth the love of God remain in him?

1 John 3:18 My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in word and in truth!

1 John 3:19 and in this we know that of the truth we are, and before Him we shall assure our hearts,

1 John 3:20 because if our heart may condemn--because greater is God than our heart, and He doth know all things.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "little", "children", "love", "word", "tongue", 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 "and whoever may have the goods of..." into verse 19's "and in this we know that of...", 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.