Paragraph 3:7–10

Read 3:7–10 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: John explains that our behavior shows whether we belong to God or to Satan.

3:7a

deceive you: (Logical Relationship) This is not a general warning about being deceived. John is specifically warning his readers not to be deceived about the question (in the next part of the verse) of who is really righteous. The two parts of the verse may therefore need to be linked together.

3:7b

The one who practices righteousness is righteous: (Emphasis) John is contradicting the false teachers who claimed that anyone could become righteous just by accepting their teaching. They claimed that it did not matter if a person continued to live an evil life. It is therefore important in translation to keep the emphasis on the fact that the only people who are righteous in God’s sight are those who do right (and no one else). See New English Bible.

righteous: (Meaning) This means that God accepts him as being good and right, and God approves of what he does.

3:7c

just as Christ is righteous: (Alternative Interpretations) In Greek, this phrase is literally “just as he is righteous.” There are different views about who this refers to:

(1) It refers to Christ. (Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) Some think it refers to God. (New English Bible)

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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.