1 John 3:18
My little children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
WEB
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
KJV
What 1 John 3:18 means
John says real love shows itself in action and honesty that go beyond words.
This comes from a letter written to early Christian communities to reassure them about what genuine faith looks like. John has just pointed to the example of Jesus laying down his life, and to the plain test of seeing someone in need and actually helping. Then he gathers it into a single line: love that stays at the level of talk is not yet love.
"In deed and truth" means real, costly action that matches what a person claims to feel. It is a simple, searching standard, aimed at closing the gap between saying we care and doing something about it.
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