1 John 3:7
“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →John warns against deception: the one who practices righteousness is righteous, like Christ.
What Does 1 John 3:7 Mean?
John warns his little children to let no one deceive them. The truth is simple: the one who does righteousness is righteous, even as Christ is righteous. Conduct, not mere claim, reveals the heart.
There were those teaching that holiness did not matter. John cuts through such deception. Righteousness is shown by doing what is right, not by professing a hidden purity while living otherwise. The pattern is Christ Himself. Those who belong to Him begin to live as He lived. John guards his readers from any teaching that would divorce faith from a transformed life.
In the Original Language
dikaios (δίκαιος), 'righteous' -- right and just in character and conduct, the likeness believers share with Christ.