1 John 3:7 (YLT)

Passage

Little children, let no one lead you astray; he who is doing the righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous,

Nearby Context

1 John 3:5 and ye have known that he was manifested that our sins he may take away, and sin is not in him;

1 John 3:6 every one who is remaining in him doth not sin; every one who is sinning, hath not seen him, nor known him.

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one lead you astray; he who is doing the righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous,

1 John 3:8 he who is doing the sin, of the devil he is, because from the beginning the devil doth sin; for this was the Son of God manifested, that he may break up the works of the devil;

1 John 3:9 every one who hath been begotten of God, sin he doth not, because his seed in him doth remain, and he is not able to sin, because of God he hath been begotten.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "little", "children", "lead", "astray", "doing", "righteousness", and "even". 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 6's "every one who is remaining in him..." into verse 8's "he who is doing the sin 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.