---
title: "1 John 3 – Catholic Bible (CPDV) & Latin Vulgate · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/bible/1-john/3/
description: "Of the love of God to us. How we may distinguish the children of God and those of… 1 John 3 in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin Vulgate."
---

# 1 John 3

1 John 3 is chapter 3 of 5 in the First Letter of John. Here are all 24 verses in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin of the Clementine Vulgate beside them.

> Of the love of God to us. How we may distinguish the children of God and those of the devil. Of loving one another and of purity of conscience.
>
> — Bp. Richard Challoner, chapter summary

## 1 John 3 (Catholic Public Domain Version)

1. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we would be called, and would become, the sons of God. Because of this, the world does not know us, for it did not know him.
2. Most beloved, we are now the sons of God. But what we shall be then has not yet appeared. We know that when he does appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
3. And everyone who holds this hope in him, keeps himself holy, just as he also is holy.
4. Everyone who commits a sin, also commits iniquity. For sin is iniquity.
5. And you know that he appeared in order that he might take away our sins. For in him there is no sin.
6. Everyone who abides in him does not sin. For whoever sins has not seen him, and has not known him.
7. Little sons, let no one deceive you. Whoever does justice is just, even as he also is just.
8. Whoever commits sin is of the devil. For the devil sins from the beginning. For this reason, the Son of God appeared, so that he might eradicate the works of the devil.
9. All those who have been born of God do not commit sin. For the offspring of God abides in them, and he is not able to sin, because he was born of God.
10. In this way, the sons of God are made manifest, and also the sons of the devil. Everyone who is not just, is not of God, as also anyone who does not love his brother.
11. For this is the announcement that you heard from the beginning: that you should love one another.
12. Do not be like Cain, who was of the evil one, and who killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his own works were wicked, but his brother’s works were just.
13. If the world hates you, brothers, do not be surprised.
14. We know that we have passed from death to life. For we love as brothers. Whoever does not love, abides in death.
15. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding within him.
16. We know the love of God in this way: because he laid down his life for us. And so, we must lay down our lives for our brothers.
17. Whoever possesses the goods of this world, and sees his brother to be in need, and yet closes his heart to him: in what way does the love of God abide in him?
18. My little sons, let us not love in words only, but in works and in truth.
19. In this way, we will know that we are of the truth, and we will commend our hearts in his sight.
20. For even if our heart reproaches us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things.
21. Most beloved, if our heart does not reproach us, we can have confidence toward God;
22. and whatever we shall request of him, we shall receive from him. For we keep his commandments, and we do the things that are pleasing in his sight.
23. And this is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
24. And those who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And we know that he abides in us by this: by the Spirit, whom he has given to us.

## 1 John 3 in Latin (Clementine Vulgate, 1592)

1. Videte qualem caritatem dedit nobis Pater, ut filii Dei nominemur et simus. Propter hoc mundus non novit nos: quia non novit eum.
2. Carissimi, nunc filii Dei sumus: et nondum apparuit quid erimus. Scimus quoniam cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus: quoniam videbimus eum sicuti est.
3. Et omnis qui habet hanc spem in eo, sanctificat se, sicut et ille sanctus est.
4. Omnis qui facit peccatum, et iniquitatem facit: et peccatum est iniquitas.
5. Et scitis quia ille apparuit ut peccata nostra tolleret: et peccatum in eo non est.
6. Omnis qui in eo manet, non peccat: et omnis qui peccat, non vidit eum, nec cognovit eum.
7. Filioli, nemo vos seducat. Qui facit justitiam, justus est, sicut et ille justus est.
8. Qui facit peccatum, ex diabolo est: quoniam ab initio diabolus peccat. In hoc apparuit Filius Dei, ut dissolvat opera diaboli.
9. Omnis qui natus est ex Deo, peccatum non facit: quoniam semen ipsius in eo manet, et non potest peccare, quoniam ex Deo natus est.
10. In hoc manifesti sunt filii Dei, et filii diaboli. Omnis qui non est justus, non est ex Deo, et qui non diligit fratrem suum:
11. quoniam hæc est annuntiatio, quam audistis ab initio, ut diligatis alterutrum.
12. Non sicut Cain, qui ex maligno erat, et occidit fratrem suum. Et propter quid occidit eum? Quoniam opera ejus maligna erant: fratris autem ejus, justa.
13. Nolite mirari, fratres, si odit vos mundus.
14. Nos scimus quoniam translati sumus de morte ad vitam, quoniam diligimus fratres. Qui non diligit, manet in morte:
15. omnis qui odit fratrem suum, homicida est. Et scitis quoniam omnis homicida non habet vitam æternam in semetipso manentem.
16. In hoc cognovimus caritatem Dei, quoniam ille animam suam pro nobis posuit: et nos debemus pro fratribus animas ponere.
17. Qui habuerit substantiam hujus mundi, et viderit fratrem suum necessitatem habere, et clauserit viscera sua ab eo: quomodo caritas Dei manet in eo?
18. Filioli mei, non diligamus verbo neque lingua, sed opere et veritate:
19. in hoc cognoscimus quoniam ex veritate sumus: et in conspectu ejus suadebimus corda nostra.
20. Quoniam si reprehenderit nos cor nostrum: major est Deus corde nostro, et novit omnia.
21. Carissimi, si cor nostrum non reprehenderit nos, fiduciam habemus ad Deum:
22. et quidquid petierimus, accipiemus ab eo: quoniam mandata ejus custodimus, et ea, quæ sunt placita coram eo, facimus.
23. Et hoc est mandatum ejus: ut credamus in nomine Filii ejus Jesu Christi: et diligamus alterutrum, sicut dedit mandatum nobis.
24. Et qui servat mandata ejus, in illo manet, et ipse in eo: et in hoc scimus quoniam manet in nobis, de Spiritu quem dedit nobis.

## Catechism of the Catholic Church

Paragraph numbers and the Catechism's own section headings (never quoted); text at vatican.va.
- cf. CCC ¶ 2822: "Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It is in Heaven" ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 163: The Characteristics of Faith ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 1023: Heaven ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 1161: How is the Liturgy Celebrated? ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- cf. CCC ¶ 2345: The Vocation to Chastity ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 385: The Fall ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 392: The Fall ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- cf. CCC ¶ 2447: Love For the Poor ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 208: I Believe in God ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 2845: "And Forgive Us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass AGAINST US" ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 2778: "We Dare To Say" ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))
- CCC ¶ 2631: Prayer of Petition ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))

## The saints

- “To know God, we must ourselves become good.” — St. Peter Damian, Sermon on St. Andrew, c. 1060 (On this theme: verse 2)
- “Not to share our wealth with the poor is to rob them and take away their livelihood. The riches we possess are not our own but theirs.” — St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Lazarus, 2, c. 388 (On this theme: verse 17)
- “Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and can be of service to him.” — St. Francis of Assisi, Admonitions, 3, c. 1220 (On this theme: verse 18)
- “Let your actions never belie your words.” — St. Jerome, Letter 52 to Nepotian, 394 (On this theme: verse 18)
- “Love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.” — St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 230, 1548 (On this theme: verse 18)
- “The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.” — St. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels, 30, c. 591 (On this theme: verse 18)
- “Let us love God, but let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.” — St. Vincent de Paul, Conferences, c. 1650 (On this theme: verse 18)
- “It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved.” — St. John Bosco, Memoirs of the Oratory, c. 1875 (On this theme: verse 18)

## Bishop Challoner's notes

Bp. Richard Challoner, notes on the Douay-Rheims (1750); they comment on its older wording.
- Verse 4: “Iniquity” … transgression of the law.
- Verse 6: viz., mortally. See chap. 1. 8.
- Verse 9: That is, as long as he keepeth in himself this seed of grace, and this divine generation, by which he is born of God. But then he may fall from this happy state, by the abuse of his free will, as appears from Rom. 11. 20-22; Cor. 9. 27; and 10. 12; Phil. 2. 12; Apoc. 3. 11.

## Read at Mass (US)

- Sun, Nov 1, 2026: All Saints — Second Reading, 1 John 3:1-3
- Mon, Jan 4, 2027: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious — First Reading, 1 John 3:22—4:6
- Sun, Apr 18, 2027: Fourth Sunday of Easter — Second Reading, 1 John 3:1-2
- Sun, Apr 25, 2027: Fifth Sunday of Easter — Second Reading, 1 John 3:18-24

3 more dates through December 31, 2028, in the [liturgical calendar](https://blessbible.app/calendar/).

Citations as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar (principal Mass, first option).

Source: Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain; Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592).