Chapter
1 2 3 4 5
Verse

1 John 3:23

ESV And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
NIV And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
NASB This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
CSB Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.
NLT And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.
KJV And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
NKJV And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

What does 1 John 3:23 mean?

Two important commandments are given in this verse. First is the essential gospel message of belief in Christ. John 3:16 offers a similar teaching from Jesus Himself. Rather than a list of hundreds of commandments no one could adequately fulfill, Jesus said, first and foremost, we are to believe in His name. This confident trust in Jesus is not only a requirement for salvation (Ephesians 2:8–9), it is necessary for prayer to be effective (John 14:12–14).

Second, John teaches the importance of Jesus' marching orders to all believers, to "love one another, just as he has commanded us." This is found in John 13:34, as well as John 15:12 and John 15:17. These are not new ideas, or something John has come to conclude after many years. This is a fundamental teaching of Christianity, something which was part of the faith from the very beginning, as shown in verse 11.
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What is the Gospel?
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