For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
When the heart condemns, God stands greater than the heart and knows all things, and the heart's own judgment is not greater than His complete knowledge. Nothing is hidden from Him as Judge, for He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom concerning the real condition of every person, with every thought open before Him, including dark things seen in the heart and much not seen at all. Loving in deed and in truth gives assurance of being of the truth before Him, joining love to God and love to the brethren together as the great principles of the law to love the Lord with all the heart and the neighbor as self. When the heart does not condemn there is confidence toward God, so that what is asked is received because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done, and His commandment is to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another, with the keeper dwelling in Him and He in him by the Spirit He has given. That assurance is settled by a heart examined under a God who outweighs the heart and understands everything, so doing right toward others and refusing careless, harsh words and actions that grieve the Holy Spirit brings the witness of the human spirit together with the witness of God's Spirit, while lovelessness and selfishness condemn, for love for God lives only where compassion is shown in deed and in truth to a brother in need.
Meaning and Context
If the heart condemns, God stands greater than the heart and knows all things, and this concerns a heart examined before God. The condemning judgment of the heart is not greater than God's complete knowledge.
As greater than the heart and knowing all things, He hides nothing from Himself as Judge of all the earth. He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom concerning the real condition of every man, with thoughts open before Him, knowing the mind of every man He has created. He sees dark and forbidding things in the heart and much that is not seen at all, and knows the heart's true condition. Human discernment by contrast sees matters only from its own standpoint and cannot give an all-sided judgment.
In its setting, loving in deed and in truth assures the heart before God of being of the truth. The chapter links love to God and love to the brethren closely together. It expresses the great principles of the law in the two great precepts to love the Lord with all the heart and to love the neighbor as self, upon which hang all the law and the prophets. These principles express the love of God in life and in character in treatment of fellow men. They join the law and the gospel in a perfect whole, where faith receives Christ and God's gifts rather than resting in a merely nominal or legal religion.
The third chapter to which the verse belongs is to be studied, believed, and practiced by youth, by students in schools and sanitariums, by workers in printing offices, and by instructors and leaders. It shows the wonderful possibility of becoming sons and daughters of God and of walking uprightly in a crooked and perverse generation. It shows the contrast between the principles of Christ and the principles of Satan.
Assurance and Obedience
If the heart does not condemn, there is confidence toward God, so that whatever is asked is received because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done. Loving in deed and in truth assures the heart of being of the truth before Him, while lovelessness, selfishness, and loving only in word condemn, and shutting up compassion toward a brother in need proves the love of God does not dwell within, whereas giving what is needed gives assurance. A heart condemned for selfishness has no confidence toward God, but assurance before Him comes only by such active love, and therefore selfishness must be put away, the past redeemed, all business transactions regulated by the Word of God, and good works shown so others glorify the Father in heaven.
His commandment is to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another as He commanded. Keeping it requires a reformation from selfish, unsympathetic ways. The one who keeps His commandments dwells in Him and He in him, known by the Spirit He has given, and dwells in God and God in the believer by the Spirit.
Assurance before God is settled by a heart examined under a God who is greater than the heart and knows all things, who outweighs the heart and understands everything. Doing right in relations with others, keeping them pleasant and refusing careless, harsh, disrespectful words and indiscreet actions that grieve the Holy Spirit, brings the witness of the human spirit together with the witness of God's Spirit that the human mind is under the control of the divine mind. That double witness lets a person assure the heart before God, gain confidence toward God when the heart does not condemn, and draw from God's Word the evidence and conclusion that he is of the truth and indeed God's son or daughter. Such confidence belongs to unconditional surrender sought in private prayer away from others, producing a life full of goodness, love, and truth with heavenly conversation, so that religion tells in its influence and personal deeds while believers remain in the world kept from evil.
The verse together with its surrounding promises should be committed to memory and kept in thought for great blessing. It leaves no excuse for continuing in sin, and shows it is possible to partake of the divine nature, escape the corruption in the world through lust, and receive the privilege of being sons and daughters of God. That power is what Christ came to give when He laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown and high command, clothed divinity with humanity, and stood at the head of humanity to reveal what human beings can become.
Call to Holy Living
Manliness and firmness belong to Christian character, for a cheap Christian character does more harm in the world than the character of a worldling, since professed Christians who claim to represent Christ while misrepresenting Him mislead others. Every person is to take the question of brotherly love to heart and answer honestly, because lovelessness and selfishness condemn, and loving only in word condemns. Nothing is hidden from Him as Judge of all the earth, for when the heart condemns, God is greater than the heart and knows all things. Assurance before Him comes only by loving in deed and in truth, and when the heart does not condemn there is confidence toward God so that prayers are answered because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done.
His commandment is to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another, and keeping it requires reformation from selfish, unsympathetic ways. Love for God lives only where compassion is shown in deed and in truth to a brother in need, for shutting up compassion proves the love of God does not dwell within, while giving what is needed gives assurance of being of the truth before God. A heart condemned for selfishness has no confidence toward God, but a heart that does not condemn gives confidence to receive whatever is asked because His commandments are kept and what pleases Him is done. Therefore selfishness must be put away, the past redeemed, all business transactions regulated by the Word of God, and good works shown so that others glorify the Father in heaven.
Teachers are to learn meekness and lowliness from Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden is light, and to witness daily to the power of grace and the Saviour's moment-by-moment keeping power through joyful service to God. They are to put sacred fire and not common fire in their censers, and to speak as Christ spoke without any harsh, passionate, rash word that would ruin a soul. They are to daily refine, sanctify, and purify character by keeping hereditary and cultivated tendencies under control, as those who study, believe, and practice the third chapter of First John with its wonderful possibility of becoming sons and daughters of God and walking uprightly in a crooked and perverse generation in contrast between the principles of Christ and the principles of Satan.
The crookedness of the past life is not to be deplored, because dwelling on it brings weakness not strength, with no healing balm but only sorrow and sin that makes the heart sick and faint and more discouraged. God is greater than the condemning heart and knows all things, both the dark and forbidding things seen in the heart and much that is not seen at all. All unbelief is moral deformity, and the remedy is to surrender the will to Christ, take Him at His word, do what pleases Him, grow like Him in faith and love, press onward to the Light of life for victory, and look to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He knows all things and is to be met with faith and trust, for He is true and patient with all His erring children.
Because God knows all, plans that feel vivid and certain to one's own mind still need to be frankly stated to brethren, closely investigated, and committed to Him with earnest prayer. Counsel together is required rather than walking independently, following speculative thought, the whisperings of one's own mind or of other minds, self-confidence, or unsanctioned words, since human discernment sees matters only from its own standpoint and cannot give an all-sided judgment while God knows all things. He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom concerning the real condition of every man, with thoughts open before Him, knowing the mind of every man He has created as the work of His own mind through Christ Jesus. Therefore even when a man does not see his peril or realize his condition, while claiming to have walked in righteousness and yet disregarding a plain Thus saith the Lord, God knows his true spiritual blindness, bewilderment, and uncertain experience. God knows the heart and its true condition, and a heart condition not acceptable in His sight will leave the person hopeless and unprepared for this world or the next if death comes.
When the heart condemns, God stands greater than the heart and knows all things, and the heart's own judgment is not greater than His complete knowledge. Nothing is hidden from Him as Judge, for He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom concerning the real condition of every person, with every thought open before Him, including dark things seen in the heart and much not seen at all. Loving in deed and in truth gives assurance of being of the truth before Him, joining love to God and love to the brethren together as the great principles of the law to love the Lord with all the heart and the neighbor as self. When the heart does not condemn there is confidence toward God, so that what is asked is received because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done, and His commandment is to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another, with the keeper dwelling in Him and He in him by the Spirit He has given. That assurance is settled by a heart examined under a God who outweighs the heart and understands everything, so doing right toward others and refusing careless, harsh words and actions that grieve the Holy Spirit brings the witness of the human spirit together with the witness of God's Spirit, while lovelessness and selfishness condemn, for love for God lives only where compassion is shown in deed and in truth to a brother in need.
Meaning and Context
If the heart condemns, God stands greater than the heart and knows all things, and this concerns a heart examined before God. The condemning judgment of the heart is not greater than God's complete knowledge.
As greater than the heart and knowing all things, He hides nothing from Himself as Judge of all the earth. He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom concerning the real condition of every man, with thoughts open before Him, knowing the mind of every man He has created. He sees dark and forbidding things in the heart and much that is not seen at all, and knows the heart's true condition. Human discernment by contrast sees matters only from its own standpoint and cannot give an all-sided judgment.
In its setting, loving in deed and in truth assures the heart before God of being of the truth. The chapter links love to God and love to the brethren closely together. It expresses the great principles of the law in the two great precepts to love the Lord with all the heart and to love the neighbor as self, upon which hang all the law and the prophets. These principles express the love of God in life and in character in treatment of fellow men. They join the law and the gospel in a perfect whole, where faith receives Christ and God's gifts rather than resting in a merely nominal or legal religion.
The third chapter to which the verse belongs is to be studied, believed, and practiced by youth, by students in schools and sanitariums, by workers in printing offices, and by instructors and leaders. It shows the wonderful possibility of becoming sons and daughters of God and of walking uprightly in a crooked and perverse generation. It shows the contrast between the principles of Christ and the principles of Satan.
Assurance and Obedience
If the heart does not condemn, there is confidence toward God, so that whatever is asked is received because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done. Loving in deed and in truth assures the heart of being of the truth before Him, while lovelessness, selfishness, and loving only in word condemn, and shutting up compassion toward a brother in need proves the love of God does not dwell within, whereas giving what is needed gives assurance. A heart condemned for selfishness has no confidence toward God, but assurance before Him comes only by such active love, and therefore selfishness must be put away, the past redeemed, all business transactions regulated by the Word of God, and good works shown so others glorify the Father in heaven.
His commandment is to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another as He commanded. Keeping it requires a reformation from selfish, unsympathetic ways. The one who keeps His commandments dwells in Him and He in him, known by the Spirit He has given, and dwells in God and God in the believer by the Spirit.
Assurance before God is settled by a heart examined under a God who is greater than the heart and knows all things, who outweighs the heart and understands everything. Doing right in relations with others, keeping them pleasant and refusing careless, harsh, disrespectful words and indiscreet actions that grieve the Holy Spirit, brings the witness of the human spirit together with the witness of God's Spirit that the human mind is under the control of the divine mind. That double witness lets a person assure the heart before God, gain confidence toward God when the heart does not condemn, and draw from God's Word the evidence and conclusion that he is of the truth and indeed God's son or daughter. Such confidence belongs to unconditional surrender sought in private prayer away from others, producing a life full of goodness, love, and truth with heavenly conversation, so that religion tells in its influence and personal deeds while believers remain in the world kept from evil.
The verse together with its surrounding promises should be committed to memory and kept in thought for great blessing. It leaves no excuse for continuing in sin, and shows it is possible to partake of the divine nature, escape the corruption in the world through lust, and receive the privilege of being sons and daughters of God. That power is what Christ came to give when He laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown and high command, clothed divinity with humanity, and stood at the head of humanity to reveal what human beings can become.
Call to Holy Living
Manliness and firmness belong to Christian character, for a cheap Christian character does more harm in the world than the character of a worldling, since professed Christians who claim to represent Christ while misrepresenting Him mislead others. Every person is to take the question of brotherly love to heart and answer honestly, because lovelessness and selfishness condemn, and loving only in word condemns. Nothing is hidden from Him as Judge of all the earth, for when the heart condemns, God is greater than the heart and knows all things. Assurance before Him comes only by loving in deed and in truth, and when the heart does not condemn there is confidence toward God so that prayers are answered because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done.
His commandment is to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another, and keeping it requires reformation from selfish, unsympathetic ways. Love for God lives only where compassion is shown in deed and in truth to a brother in need, for shutting up compassion proves the love of God does not dwell within, while giving what is needed gives assurance of being of the truth before God. A heart condemned for selfishness has no confidence toward God, but a heart that does not condemn gives confidence to receive whatever is asked because His commandments are kept and what pleases Him is done. Therefore selfishness must be put away, the past redeemed, all business transactions regulated by the Word of God, and good works shown so that others glorify the Father in heaven.
Teachers are to learn meekness and lowliness from Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden is light, and to witness daily to the power of grace and the Saviour's moment-by-moment keeping power through joyful service to God. They are to put sacred fire and not common fire in their censers, and to speak as Christ spoke without any harsh, passionate, rash word that would ruin a soul. They are to daily refine, sanctify, and purify character by keeping hereditary and cultivated tendencies under control, as those who study, believe, and practice the third chapter of First John with its wonderful possibility of becoming sons and daughters of God and walking uprightly in a crooked and perverse generation in contrast between the principles of Christ and the principles of Satan.
The crookedness of the past life is not to be deplored, because dwelling on it brings weakness not strength, with no healing balm but only sorrow and sin that makes the heart sick and faint and more discouraged. God is greater than the condemning heart and knows all things, both the dark and forbidding things seen in the heart and much that is not seen at all. All unbelief is moral deformity, and the remedy is to surrender the will to Christ, take Him at His word, do what pleases Him, grow like Him in faith and love, press onward to the Light of life for victory, and look to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He knows all things and is to be met with faith and trust, for He is true and patient with all His erring children.
Because God knows all, plans that feel vivid and certain to one's own mind still need to be frankly stated to brethren, closely investigated, and committed to Him with earnest prayer. Counsel together is required rather than walking independently, following speculative thought, the whisperings of one's own mind or of other minds, self-confidence, or unsanctioned words, since human discernment sees matters only from its own standpoint and cannot give an all-sided judgment while God knows all things. He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom concerning the real condition of every man, with thoughts open before Him, knowing the mind of every man He has created as the work of His own mind through Christ Jesus. Therefore even when a man does not see his peril or realize his condition, while claiming to have walked in righteousness and yet disregarding a plain Thus saith the Lord, God knows his true spiritual blindness, bewilderment, and uncertain experience. God knows the heart and its true condition, and a heart condition not acceptable in His sight will leave the person hopeless and unprepared for this world or the next if death comes.