1 John 3:20 (YLT)

Passage

because if our heart may condemn--because greater is God than our heart, and He doth know all things.

Nearby Context

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.

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God,

1 John 3:22 and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because His commands we keep, and the things pleasing before Him we do,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "condemn", "heart", "condemn--because", "greater", "than", and "doth". 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 in this we know that of..." into verse 21's "Beloved if our heart may 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.