3:17a

If anyone: (Parenthesis) John interrupts his argument to give, as a warning, an example of a Christian who does not truly love his fellow Christian.

with earthly possessions: (Meaning) This refers to food, clothes, housing and the means of earning a living. It means having enough to live with (see New English Bible, Living Bible).It does not mean that he is rich.

3:17c

but withholds his compassion from him: (Meaning) This refers to both the person’s attitude and his actions. His brother’s problems do not interest or affect him and he does nothing to help his brother.

3:17d

how can the love of God abide in him?: (Rhetorical Question) The rhetorical question is used here in order to emphasize the fact that it is in no way possible for such a person to have the love of God, even if he claims to have it.

the love of God: (Alternative Interpretations) There is a lot of disagreement about the meaning of this phrase:

(1) The sentence probably means, “He cannot claim that God is causing him to love people,” (New English Bible, Revised Standard Version, Living Bible) since John’s theme here is the love we show to people.

(2) Others think it means, “He cannot claim that he loves God.” (Good News Translation)

(3) Others think it means, “He cannot claim that he loves people in the same way that God loves people.”

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.