1 John 3:3

3:3 And everyone who has this hope focused ¹  on him purifies ²  himself, just as Jesus ³  is pure). ⁴ 

Matthew 10:25

10:25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more will they defame the members of his household!

John 15:20

15:20 Remember what ⁵  I told you, ‘A slave ⁶  is not greater than his master.’ ⁷  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed ⁸  my word, they will obey ⁹  yours too.

Romans 8:29

8:29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son ¹⁰  would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ¹¹ 

Hebrews 12:2-3

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ¹²  12:3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

Hebrews 12:1

The Lord’s Discipline

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ¹³  we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,

Hebrews 3:16-18

3:16 For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership? ¹⁴  3:17 And against whom was God ¹⁵  provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁶  3:18 And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient?

Hebrews 3:1

Jesus and Moses

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, ¹⁷  partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, ¹⁸ 

Hebrews 4:1-3

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ¹⁹  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it. 4:2 For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in ²⁰  with those who heard it in faith. ²¹  4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’” ²²  And yet God’s works ²³  were accomplished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:13-14

4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ²⁴  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest

4:14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

[3:3]  ¹ tn “Focused” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[3:3]  ² sn The verb translated purifies (ἁγνίζω, Jagnizw) is somewhat unusual here, since it is not common in the NT, and occurs only once in the Gospel of John (11:55). One might wonder why the author did not use the more common verb ἁγιάζω (Jagiazw), as in John 17:19, where Jesus prays, “On their behalf I consecrate myself, so that they may also be consecrated in the truth.” It is possible that there is some overlap between the two verbs and thus this is another example of Johannine stylistic variation, but the verb ἁγνίζω is used in the context of John 11:55, which describes ritual purification for the Passover, a usage also found in the LXX (Exod 19:10-11, Num 8:21). In this context the use of ἁγνίζω would remind the readers that, if they have the future hope of entering the Father’s presence (“seeing him as he is” in 3:2), they need to prepare themselves by living a purified lifestyle now, just as Jesus lived during his earthly life and ministry (cf. 2:6 again). This serves to rebut the opponents’ claims to moral indifference, that what the Christian does in the present life is of no consequence.

[3:3]  ³ tn Grk “that one.” Context indicates a reference to Jesus here. The switch from αὐτός (autos) to ἐκείνος (ekeinos) parallels 1 John 2:6 (see note there). Since purity of life is mentioned in the context, this almost certainly refers to Jesus in his earthly life and ministry as the example believers should imitate (a major theme of the author throughout 1 John).

[3:3]  ⁴ sn 1 John 3:1-3. All of 3:1-3 is a parenthesis within the present section in which the author reflects on what it means to be fathered by God, a subject he has mentioned at the end of 2:29. The sequence of the argument is then resumed by 3:4, which is in opposition to 2:29.

[15:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “Remember the word that I said to you.”

[15:20]  ⁶ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[15:20]  ⁷ sn A slave is not greater than his master. Jesus now recalled a statement he had made to the disciples before, in John 13:16. As the master has been treated, so will the slaves be treated also. If the world had persecuted Jesus, then it would also persecute the disciples. If the world had kept Jesus’ word, it would likewise keep the word of the disciples. In this statement there is the implication that the disciples would carry on the ministry of Jesus after his departure; they would in their preaching and teaching continue to spread the message which Jesus himself had taught while he was with them. And they would meet with the same response, by and large, that he encountered.

[15:20]  ⁸ tn Or “if they kept.”

[15:20]  ⁹ tn Or “they will keep.”

[8:29]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God’s Son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:29]  ¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:2]  ¹² sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[12:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”

[3:16]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “through Moses.”

[3:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

[3:17]  ¹⁶ sn An allusion to God’s judgment pronounced in Num 14:29, 32.

[3:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[3:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “of our confession.”

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “let us fear.”

[4:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “they were not united.”

[4:2]  ²¹ tc A few mss (א and a few versional witnesses) have the nominative singular participle συγκεκερασμένος (sunkekerasmeno", “since it [the message] was not combined with faith by those who heard it”), a reading that refers back to the ὁ λόγος (Jo logo", “the message”). There are a few other variants here (e.g., συγκεκεραμμένοι [sunkekerammenoi] in 104, συγκεκεραμένους [sunkekeramenou"] in 1881 Ï), but the accusative plural participle συγκεκερασμένους (sunkekerasmenou"), found in Ì^13vid,46 A B C D* Ψ 0243 0278 33 81 1739 2464 pc, has by far the best external credentials. This participle agrees with the previous ἐκείνους (ekeinou", “those”), a more difficult construction grammatically than the nominative singular. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, συγκεκερασμένους is preferred.

[4:3]  ²² sn A quotation from Ps 95:11.

[4:3]  ²³ tn Grk “although the works,” continuing the previous reference to God. The referent (God) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:13]  ²⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.