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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
3:11-4:6 Overcoming Evil by Listening to the Apostle. The beginning of this section (3:11, "this is the message") and its summary (4:6, "Whoever knows God listens to us") mark these verses as describing how to avoid the "practice of sinning" and "lawlessness" (3:4).
3:11-24 Overcoming Cain's Malice. In John 8:44 Jesus points to the devil as the arch liar and murderer. Here John uses Cain (Gen. 4:1-16) to introduce discussion of what Christians must both avoid and pursue.
3:13 Do not be surprised. Abel did the right thing and was bitterly opposed (v. 12). John knows this dynamic is at work in every age (see John 16:2-3, 33).
3:14 We know . . . because we love. An assurance of salvation is the inner drive that leads one to care for fellow believers (see note on 2:3).
3:15 is a murderer. John agrees with the teaching of Jesus (Matt. 5:22, 28) that outward conformity to God's command ("You shall not murder," Ex. 20:13) is not enough, for even a heartfelt desire to break the command violates it (note the command about inward desires in Ex. 20:17).
3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. Jesus' path to the cross marks the selfless, self-giving way of life to which his followers are called.
3:20 whenever our heart condemns us. Whenever one has an inward conviction of sin. It is vital in such times to have a living faith; the proposition that God is greater than our heart grants us assurance that he has forgiven us through the atoning work of Christ.
3:21 A clear conscience before God leads to boldness and confidence before God in prayer.
3:22 whatever we ask we receive. Cf. note on 5:15. Because we keep his commandments implies a direct connection between obeying God and receiving answers to prayer. Do what pleases him implies it is possible to do things each day that actually "please" God.
3:23 his commandment, that we believe. Personal trust in Christ is just as important as the ethical behavior stressed in vv. 11-22.
3:24 the Spirit. This is the letter's first explicit mention of the third person of the Trinity (see also 4:2, 6, 13; 5:6, 8). But as author of the Fourth Gospel, John would have presupposed from the start of this letter the existence and importance of the "Helper," "the Spirit of truth," whom Jesus promised to send (see John 14:16-18, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14; 20:22).
