Verses to review today: 1 John 3:13-3:21
New Verse: 1 John 3:22

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. (ESV)

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (KJV)

Greek: καὶ ὃ ἐὰν αἰτῶμεν λαμβάνομεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηροῦμεν καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦμεν.

Transliterated Greek: kai ho ean aitōmen lambanomen ap’ autou, hoti tas entolas autou tēroumen kai ta aresta enōpion autou poioumen.

Literal Word for Word Translation: and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in the sight of him.

Vocab: λαμβάνομεν, lambanomen, we receive/take; ἐντολὰς, entolas, commandments; τηροῦμεν, tēroumen, we watch over/guard/keep; ποιοῦμεν, poioumen, we do; ἀρεστὰ, aresta, pleasing.

Commentary: John 14:15 says, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Jn 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Tomorrow’s verse says the commandment is to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus, and to love one another. When we love God and one another, we are following the moral law of the Old Testament in spirit. We are not to be legalistic, but we are to come to conform to the character of God as we become more like Jesus. And we do that through the spirit of love. “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code,” Rom 7.

As we live by these commandments of Christ, we are doing what pleases Him, and in so doing, being His children, we ask God for that which conforms with that love and He provides it. Asking for things that are more selfish in nature is not pleasing to Him and He may not provide it. The conditional has entirely to do with our asking in the spirit of love.