Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 John 3:23

"And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment." — 1 John 3:23 (ASV)

This verse specifies what command it is that the children must obey in order to receive whatever they ask of him (v.22). It is “to believe [GK 4409] in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another.” The idea of believing, which occurs here for the first time in this letter, will be seen more and more as the issue between John and the “false teachers.” They do not love—that is clear —but the reason for that is that God’s love is not in them, since they have not truly believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. To believe in Jesus Christ means in this context to believe the Gospel about Jesus—that he is God’s Son, that he came to save men and women from their sins, and that by believing in him they can have eternal life . Joining belief and love in a single command shows how inextricably connected the two are in John’s mind. Belief comes first because it is the basis for love (cf. Jn 3:16), but love is the only expression of true faith.

The end of this command—“to love one another as he commanded us”— recalls Jesus’ own command in Jn 13:34; 15:12, 17. John’s practice of not distinguishing the subjects of verbs such as “he commanded” is characteristic both of his writing and of his theology. God the Father is revealed in Christ Jesus. To see the Son is to see the Father; to know the Father is to know the Son. The deeds of the one are the deeds of the other. So completely are their wills joined that it is many times a matter of indifference as to which one is in view.