1 John 3 · Verse 10

1 John 3:10

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
1 John 3:10, King James Version

1 John 3:10 in other translations

BSBBy this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
WEBIn this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.
ASVIn this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
YLTIn this manifest are the children of God, and the children of the devil; every one who is not doing righteousness, is not of God, and he who is not loving his brother,
DARBYIn this are manifest the children of God and the children of the devil. Whoever does not practise righteousness is not of God, and he who does not love his brother.
BBEIn this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.
WebsterIn this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

What does 1 John 3:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
10. children of the devil--(See on 1Jo 3:8; Ac 13:10). There is no middle class between the children of God and the children of the devil. doeth not righteousness--Contrast 1Jo 2:29. he that loveth not his brother--(1Jo 4:8); a particular instance of that love which is the sum and fulfilment of all righteousness, and the token (not loud professions, or even seemingly good works) that distinguishes God's children from the devil's.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 10. In this the children of God are manifest, etc. That is, this furnishes a test of their true character. The test is found in doing righteousness, and in the love of the brethren. The former he had illustrated; the latter he now proceeds to illustrate. The general idea is, that if a man is not truly a righteous man, and does not love the brethren, he cannot be a child of God. Perhaps by the phrase "in this," using a pronoun in the singular number, he means to intimate that an important part of righteousness consists in brotherly love.

Whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God. In 1Jn 3:7, he had said that "he that doeth righteousness is of God." If that is true, then what he here affirms must be true also, that a man who does not righteousness is not of God. The general idea is the same, that no one can be a true Christian who is not in fact a righteous man.

Neither he that loveth not his brother. The illustration of this point continues to 1Jn 3:18. The general sense is, that brotherly love is essential to the Christian character, and that he who does not possess it cannot be a Christian. On the nature and importance of brotherly love as an evidence of piety, Jn 13:34, Jn 13:35.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 10 In this the children of God are manifest - Here is a fearful text. Who is a child of the devil? He that commits sin. Who is a child of God? He that works righteousness. By this text we shall stand or fall before God, whatever our particular creed may say to the contrary. Neither he that loveth not his brother - No man is of God who is not ready on all emergencies to do any act of kindness for the comfort, relief, and support of any human being. For, as God made of one blood an the nations of men to dwell upon the face of the whole earth, so all are of one family; and consequently all are brethren, and should love as brethren.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 John 3:3-10

The sons of God know that their Lord is of purer eyes than to allow any thing unholy and impure to dwell with him. It is the hope of hypocrites, not of the sons of God, that makes allowance for gratifying impure desires and lusts. May we be followers of him as his dear children, thus show our sense of his unspeakable mercy, and express that obedient, grateful, humble mind which becomes us. Sin is the rejecting the…

Read the full comment on 1 John 3:3-10 →

1 John 3:10 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐνenThroughG1722
τούτῳtoutōthisG3778
φανεράphaneramanifestG5318
ἐστινestinareG1510
τὰtatheG3588
τέκναteknachildrenG5043
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦtheouof GodG2316
καὶkaiandG2532
τὰtatheG3588
τέκναteknachildrenG5043
τοῦtouof theG3588
διαβόλου.diaboloudevil.G1228
πᾶςpasAnyoneG3956
ὁho<the>G3588
μὴmēnotG3361
ποιῶνpoiōnpracticingG4160
δικαιοσύνηνdikaiosunēnrighteousnessG1343
οὐκouknotG3756
ἔστινestinisG1510
ἐκekofG1537
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦ,theouGod,G2316
καὶkaiand alsoG2532
ὁhothe [one]G3588
μὴmēnotG3361
ἀγαπῶνagapōnlovingG25
τὸνtontheG3588
ἀδελφὸνadelphonbrotherG80
αὐτοῦ·autouof him;G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 John 3:10

  • 1 John 4:8

    He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

  • 3 John 1:11

    Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

  • 1 John 4:21

    And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

  • Matthew 13:38

    The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

  • John 8:44

    Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

  • Luke 6:35

    But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

  • 1 John 3:7-8

    Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

  • John 8:47

    He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

  • 1 John 4:3-4

    And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

  • Ephesians 5:1

    Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

  • 1 John 4:6

    We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

  • 1 John 3:14-15

    We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the children of God.
5:2; Lu 6:35; Ro 8:16,17; Eph 5:1
and.
Mt 13:38; Joh 8:44; Ac 13:10
whosoever.
7,8; 2:29
is.
4:3,4,6; 5:19; Joh 8:47; 3Jo 1:11
neither.
14,15; 2:9,10; 4:8,21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 John 3:9

    Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

  • 1 John 3:10

    In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

  • 1 John 3:11

    For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Read all of 1 John 3

1 John 3:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		En esto son manifiestos los hijos de Dios, y los hijos del diablo: cualquiera que no hace justicia, y que no ama á su hermano, no es de Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Par ceci sont rendus manifestes les enfants de Dieu et les enfants du diable: quiconque ne pratique pas la justice n’est pas de Dieu, et celui qui n’aime pas son frère.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Hieran sind offenbar die Kinder Gottes und die Kinder des Teufels. Jeder, der nicht Gerechtigkeit tut, ist nicht aus Gott, und wer nicht seinen Bruder liebt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		In hoc manifesti sunt filii Dei, et filii diaboli. Omnis qui non est justus, non est ex Deo, et qui non diligit fratrem suum: