1 John 3 — Clausal Layout (English)

independentrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended

Flush-left = a main (independent) clause. Each dependent line begins directly beneath the word it attaches to in the line above — the anchor word is dotted-underlined, and lights up when you hover its dependent clause; each tag also names the attachment. A dashed border marks verbless, elliptical, or suspended lines. Where a long sentence's staircase runs wider than the page, the diagram scrolls sideways. (In print, or without JavaScript, lines fall back to stepped indent columns.)

Children of God now, and the purifying hope 3:1–3

v. 1 — behold what love: called children of God, and we are

See what kind of love the Father has given us,independent — the exclamation — ποταπήν, of what astonishing kind

that we should be called children of God —content — epexegetic ἵνα — the love defined by its result: adoption

and we are.independent — the indicative breaks in — not called only, we ARE (the critical text’s καὶ ἐσμέν)

For this reason the world does not know us,independent — the corollary — unrecognized children in an unrecognizing world

because it did not know him.cause — the world’s ignorance of us rooted in its ignorance of him

vv. 2–3 — children now; what we shall be; the purifying hope

Beloved, now we are children of God,independent — the νῦν — the status already real

and it has not yet appearedindependent — the οὔπω — the status real, its form still hidden

what we shall be.content — indirect question — the unrevealed future

We knowindependent — the community’s settled knowledge

that — when he appears —conditional — the protasis carries the ὅτι of the content clause below; ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ‘whenever he (or it) is manifested’

we shall be like him,content — the content — likeness at his appearing

because we shall see himcause — the seeing transforms — the vision makes like

as he is.comparative — καθώς ἐστιν — as he is, no longer veiled

And everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself,independent — the hope’s ethical pull — ἐπ’ αὐτῷ, the hope rests on him

just as that One is pure.comparative — ἐκεῖνος — Christ the standard of purity

The children of God and the children of the devil 3:4–10

vv. 4–6 — sin is lawlessness; he appeared to take sins away

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness;independent — the lattice opens — πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν, the habitual doer

and sin is lawlessness.independent — the equation — article on both sides: sin IS lawlessness

And you knowindependent — appeal to shared knowledge

that that One appearedcontent — the first ἐφανερώθη — the incarnation stated by its purpose

in order to take away sins,purpose — αἴρω — to remove, bear off (cf. John 1:29)

and in him there is no sin.independent — the sinless one — possibly still within the ὅτι, here set as John’s own assertion

Everyone who abides in him does not keep sinning;independent — durative present — abiding excludes continuing in sin

everyone who keeps sinning has neither seen him nor known him.independent — the converse — perfects: no vision, no knowledge

vv. 7–10 — of God or of the devil: the doing tells

Little children, let no one deceive you:independent — the pastoral warning — against the deceivers of 2:26

the one who does righteousness is righteous,independent — the test — doing, not claiming

just as that One is righteous;comparative — ἐκεῖνος again — Christ the measure

the one who practices sin is of the devil,independent — the counter-verdict — paternity shown by practice

because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.cause — ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς — the devil’s sinning is original and unbroken

For this purpose the Son of God appeared,independent — the second ἐφανερώθη — εἰς τοῦτο pointing forward

that he might destroy the works of the devil.purpose — λύω — to undo, demolish; the ἵνα unpacks εἰς τοῦτο

Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin,independent — the perfect γεγεννημένος — an abiding state from a past begetting

because his seed abides in him;cause — σπέρμα — God’s seed (his life, word, Spirit) remains in the begotten

and he cannot keep sinning,independent — οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν — the durative present: cannot go on sinning; not sinless perfection (cf. 1:8–2:1)

because he has been begotten of God.cause — the ground repeated — birth from God is decisive

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:independent — the section’s verdict — two families, made visible

everyone who does not do righteousness is not of God,independent — the negative test

nor the one who does not love his brother.phrase modifier — the second subject, sharing the verb — love named at last: the hinge to vv. 11–18

Love one another — not as Cain 3:11–18

vv. 11–13 — the message from the beginning, and the negative exemplar

For this is the messageindependent — ὅτι — grounding v. 10: love of the brother was the charge all along

which you heard from the beginning:relative — ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς — the original gospel word

that we should love one another —content — epexegetic ἵνα — the message’s content

not as Cain, who was of the evil onecomparative — compressed comparative — ‘not as Cain, (who) was of the evil one’; the devil’s first child (Gen 4)

and slaughtered his brother.comparative — σφάζω — the butcher’s word, coordinate within the καθώς clause

And for what reason did he slaughter him?independent — the diatribe question

Because his own works were evil,cause — the answer — righteousness provokes hatred

and his brother’s righteous.cause — the second limb, verbless — the contrast that killed

And do not marvel, brothers,independent — the letter’s one ἀδελφοί address

if the world hates you.conditional — backward εἰ, nearly ὅτι — the hatred a fact, not a hypothesis; the world is Cain’s kin

vv. 14–15 — passed from death to life

We knowindependent — emphatic ἡμεῖς — we, unlike the hating world

that we have passed out of death into life,content — μεταβεβήκαμεν — perfect: the crossing already made (cf. John 5:24)

because we love the brothers.cause — evidential ὅτι — the loving is how we know, not why we passed

The one who does not love abides in death.independent — the converse — death as residence

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,independent — hatred is Cain’s deed in seed (cf. Mt 5:21–22)

and you knowindependent — appeal to the known

that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.content — μένουσαν — no abiding life where death is dealt

vv. 16–18 — the measure of love: a life laid down

By this we have known love:independent — ἐν τούτῳ pointing forward — love defined by an event

that that One laid down his life for us;content — ἐκεῖνος — the cross as love’s definition (τὴν ψυχὴν τιθέναι, John 10:11)

and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.independent — the inference — ὀφείλομεν, debt-language

But whoever has the world’s goodsconditional — indefinite relative as protasis — the chain leans on the question below

and sees his brother in needconditional — θεωρῇ — watches, with the need in full view

and shuts his heart against him,conditional — τὰ σπλάγχνα — closes his compassion

how does the love of God abide in him?independent — the apodosis a question — from martyrdom (v. 16) down to withheld goods

Little children, let us not love in word or in tongueindependent — the section’s close — hortatory

but in deed and truth.phrase modifier — the true register of love — ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ

Assurance before God, and his commandment 3:19–24

vv. 19–22 — quieting the condemning heart

And by this we shall knowindependent — ἐν τούτῳ — by love in deed (v. 18)

that we are of the truth,content — the pedigree known from the practice

and shall assure our heart before him,independent — πείσομεν — persuade, quiet the heart in God’s own presence

because, if our heart condemns us,conditional — the protasis carries the first ὅτι — leaning on the ground below

God is greater than our heart and knows all things.cause — the notorious double ὅτι — the second read as resumptive of the first after the protasis (‘because… — because, I say — God is greater’); his greater knowledge quiets the verdict rather than sharpening it

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us,conditional — the counter-case — protasis with the address attached

we have confidence toward God,independent — παρρησία — free speech before God

and whatever we askconditional — ὃ ἐάν — relative protasis, leaning on the apodosis below

we receive from him,independent — the apodosis — asking within the family

because we keep his commandmentscause — not merit but alignment — obedience keeps the asking inside his will

and do what is pleasing in his sight.cause — τὰ ἀρεστά — the coordinate second ground

vv. 23–24 — the commandment, and the mutual abiding

And this is his commandment:independent — the letter’s double command gathered into one ἐντολή

that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christcontent — epexegetic ἵνα — faith first

and love one another,content — and love — one commandment, two faces

just as he gave us commandment.comparative — καθώς — per Christ’s own command (John 13:34)

And the one who keeps his commandments abides in him,independent — obedience and abiding entwined

and he in him;phrase modifier — the mutual abiding — verbless reciprocal

and by this we knowindependent — the assurance formula once more

that he abides in us:content — the content — his abiding in us

by the Spirit whom he gave us.phrase modifier — resuming ἐν τούτῳ — the Spirit as the evidence; the letter’s first πνεῦμα, the bridge to 4:1

Analysis. First John 3 reads as a lattice of flush-left purple verdicts: the πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν / πᾶς ὁ μένων / πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων / πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος participle-subjects stand at the margin one after another, each carrying its sentence in a single stroke, while the hanging lines beneath them are almost all of two kinds — green ἵνα purposes (he appeared to take away sins, to undo the devil’s works; the message and the commandment both defined by epexegetic ἵνα) and tan ὅτι grounds (the world knew him not; the devil sins from the beginning; his seed abides; we love the brothers). Olive protases lean forward three times: the nested ἐὰν φανερωθῇ inside v. 2’s ὅτι-content, the three-link ὃς δ’ ἂν chain of v. 17 poised over its πῶς-question, and the paired ἐὰν καταγινώσκῃ / ἐὰν μὴ καταγινώσκῃ of vv. 20–21. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: v. 1’s καὶ ἐσμέν is set flush as an indicative interruption of the ἵνα clause; v. 5’s καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν is set as John’s own assertion rather than continued ὅτι-content; v. 9’s οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν is read with the durative present — the one begotten of God cannot go on sinning as a practice, not that he never sins (1:8–2:1); v. 14’s second ὅτι is evidential (the loving is how we know we have passed, not the cause of the passing); and v. 20’s double ὅτι is resolved by letting the protasis carry the first ὅτι and reading the second as its resumption — ‘because, if our heart condemns us, (because, I say,) God is greater than our heart’ — taken as reassurance: the all-knowing God overrules the condemning heart.