1 John 3 · Verse 19

1 John 3:19

And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1 John 3:19, King James Version

1 John 3:19 in other translations

BSBAnd by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
WEBAnd by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him,
ASVHereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him:
YLTand in this we know that of the truth we are, and before Him we shall assure our hearts,
DARBYAnd hereby we shall know that we are of the truth, and shall persuade our hearts before him —
BBEIn this way we may be certain that we are true, and may give our heart comfort before him,
WebsterAnd by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

What does 1 John 3:19 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
19. hereby--Greek, "herein"; in our loving in deed and in truth (1Jo 3:18). we know--The oldest manuscripts have "we shall know," namely, if we fulfil the command (1Jo 3:18). of the truth--that we are real disciples of, and belonging to, the truth, as it is in Jesus: begotten of God with the word of truth. Having herein the truth radically, we shall be sure not to love merely in word and tongue. (1Jo 3:18). assure--literally, "persuade," namely, so as to cease to condemn us; satisfy the questionings and doubts of our consciences as to whether we be accepted before God or not (compare Mt 28:14; Ac 12:20, "having made Blastus their friend," literally, "persuaded"). The "heart," as the seat of the feelings, is our inward judge; the conscience, as the witness, acts either as our justifying advocate, or our condemning accuser, before God even now. Joh 8:9, has "conscience," but the passage is omitted in most old manuscripts. John nowhere else uses the term "conscience." Peter and Paul alone use it. before him--as in the sight of Him, the omniscient Searcher of hearts. Assurance is designed to be the ordinary experience and privilege of the believer.

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 19. And hereby. Gr., by this; that is, by the fact that we have true love to others, and that we manifest it by a readiness to make sacrifices to do them good.

We know that we are of the truth. That we are not deceived in what we profess to be; that is that we are true Christians. To be of the truth stands opposed to cherishing false and delusive hopes.

And shall assure our hearts before him. Before God, or before the Saviour. In the margin, as in the Greek, the word rendered shall assure, is persuade. The Greek word is used as meaning to persuade, e.g., to the reception and belief of truth; then to persuade any one who has unkind or prejudiced feelings towards us, or to bring over to kind feelings, to conciliate, and thus to pacify or quiet. The meaning here seems to be, that we shall in this way allay the doubts and trouble of our minds, and produce a state of quiet and peace, to wit, by the evidence that we are of the truth. Our consciences are often restless and troubled in view of past guilt; but, in thus furnishing the evidence of true piety by love to others, we shall pacify an accusing mind, and conciliate our own hearts, and persuade or convince ourselves that we are truly the children of God. See Rob. Lex. sub voce πειθω, I. b. In other words, though a man's heart may condemn him as guilty, and though he knows that God sees and condemns the sins of his past life, yet the agitations and alarms of his mind may be calmed down and soothed by evidence that he is a child of God, and that he will not be finally condemned. A true Christian does not attempt to conceal the fact that there is much for which his own heart and conscience might justly accuse him; but he finds, notwithstanding all this, evidence that he is a child of God, and he is persuaded that all will be well.

(a) "hereby" Jn 13:35 (1) "shall assure" "persuade"

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 19 Hereby we know that we are of the truth - That we have the true religion of the Lord Jesus, and shall assure our hearts - be persuaded in our consciences, that we have the truth as it is in Jesus; as no man can impose upon himself by imagining he loves when he does not: he may make empty professions to others, but if he loves either God or man, he knows it because he feels it; and love unfelt is not love, it is word or tongue. This the apostle lays down as a test of a man's Christianity, and it is the strongest and most infallible test that can be given. He that loves feels that he does love; and he who feels that he loves God and man has true religion; and he who is careful to show the fruits of this love, in obedience to God and humane acts to man, gives others the fullest proof that he has the loving mind that was in Jesus.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 John 3:16-21

Here is the condescension, the miracle, the mystery of Divine love, that God would redeem the church with his own blood. Surely we should love those whom God has loved, and so loved. The Holy Spirit, grieved at selfishness, will leave the selfish heart without comfort, and full of darkness and terror. By what can it be known that a man has a true sense of the love of Christ for perishing sinners, or that the love of…

Read the full comment on 1 John 3:16-21 →

1 John 3:19 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.

καὶkaiAndG2532
ἐνenbyG1722
τούτῳtoutōthisG3778
γνωσόμεθαgnōsomethawe will knowG1097
ὅτιhotithatG3754
ἐκekofG1537
τῆςtēstheG3588
ἀληθείαςalētheiastruthG225
ἐσμὲνesmenwe areG1510
καὶkaiandG2532
ἔμπροσθενemprosthenbeforeG1715
αὐτοῦautouHimG846
πείσομενpeisomenwe will assureG3982
τὴνtēn<the>G3588
καρδίανkardianheartG2588
ἡμῶν,hēmōnof us,G3165

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

Cross references for 1 John 3:19

  • Hebrews 10:22

    Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

  • 1 John 3:21

    Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

  • Isaiah 32:17

    And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

  • Hebrews 6:10-11

    For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

  • John 18:37

    Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

  • 2 Timothy 1:12

    For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

  • Romans 4:21

    And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

  • 1 John 1:8

    If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

  • John 13:35

    By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

  • Hebrews 11:13

    These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

  • 1 John 3:14

    We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

  • Romans 8:38

    For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
hereby.
14; 1:8; Joh 13:35; 18:37
shall.
21; Isa 32:17; Heb 6:10,11; 10:22
assure. Gr. persuade.
Ro 4:21; 8:38; 2Ti 1:12; Heb 11:13

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

Context

  • 1 John 3:18

    My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

  • 1 John 3:19

    And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

  • 1 John 3:20

    For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Read all of 1 John 3

1 John 3:19 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y en esto conocemos que somos de la verdad, y tenemos nuestros corazones certificados delante de él.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et par ceci nous saurons que nous sommes de la vérité, et nous assurerons nos cœurs devant lui
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und hieran werden wir erkennen, daß wir aus der Wahrheit sind, und werden vor ihm unsere Herzen überzeugen, -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		in hoc cognoscimus quoniam ex veritate sumus: et in conspectu ejus suadebimus corda nostra.