3:23-24  23 And this is his command, that we should put confidence in the name of his son, Jesus Messiah and that we should love one another, according as he gave a commandment to us. 24 And the one who keeps his commandments is staying/remaining in him and he in him. And by this we know that he is staying/remaining in us, from the Spirit that he gave to us.

3:23-24  23Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύσωμεν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, καθὼς ἔδωκεν ἐντολὴν ἡμῖν. 24καὶ ὁ τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι μένει ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος οὗ ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν.

Verse 23:  In this section J probably is concluding his discussion about the command to love the brothers and sisters. He continues his reference to the “commands” of God introduced in v. 22 that pointed to the second great commandment in particular. He begins with an equative clause whose subject probably is the demonstrative pronoun αὕτη, whose gender reflects ἐντολή. αὕτη anticipates the content of the following ἵνα clause. The verb identifies the subject with the predicate, the arthrous ἐντολή. The antecedent of the genitive αὐτοῦ is θεός (from the preceding verse).

ἵνα probably marks an indirect command. The textual tradition is split between a present or aorist subjunctive verb form. Either would suit, but NA 28 chooses the aorist form (πιστεύσωμεν). This is the first use of this verb in 1 Jn, but the cognate noun πίστις occurs frequently in chapter 2. It means to put trust or confidence in someone or something because it is deemed true. Frequently the elements “trusted” is marked by the dative case (τῷ ὀνόματι). Perhaps the sense is “to have confidence in the efficacy of the name of Jesus.” The genitive τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ identifies whose name is under discussion. αὐτοῦ is a genitive of relationship. J leaves no doubt about the identity of this son by defining it through the appositional Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Is this first command a variation on the first great command to love God with heart, soul, strength, and mind?

J identifies a second command, namely the second great command to love neighbour. He employs a present active subjunctive verb ἀγαπῶμεν, with the reciprocal pronoun functioning as direct object. If NA 28’s text is correct, then J uses an aorist subjunctive in the first indirect command and a present subjunctive in the second. Does this make sense?

Presumably the clause of comparison marked by καθώς modifies both indirect commands. God is the subject of ἔδωκεν. Is J referring to the OT iteration of this command or its reiteration through Jesus, if “us” includes non-Jewish Christians? The object ἐντολήν is anarthrous suggesting that it is not referring only to the second indirect command. The indirect object ἡμῖν would include the writer.

Verse 24:  J assures his audience that continual commitment to obeying God’s demands is the surest indication that they are related to him. The coordinating conjunction καί introduces another piece of J’s argument. He presents the subject as an articulated present active participle (ὁ τηρῶν) modified by the direct object τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, referring to God’s commands (two of which he has just articulated in v. 23). The antecedent of αὐτοῦ is God and it functions as a subjective genitive.

The main verb in this independent, declarative clause is the present indicative tense form μένει. It is the implicit verb in the second clause linked by καί. The audience has to sort out the antecedents to the repeated αὐτός. J uses the locative sense of ἐν αὐτῷ to express relationship and loyalty.

J introduces a third independent, declarative clause with καί and the frequent adverbial phrase ἐν τούτῳ (expressing means?). It seems to refer to ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος…ἔδωκεν. The main verb is a present active indicative tense form γινώσκομεν referring to a present reality. The ὅτι conjunction marks a content clause of indirect speech that functions as the direct object of γινώσκομεν. Even though the deity is not visible, his adherents have confidence that he “stays/remains in you” because of “the Spirit” that he has given to them. The relative pronoun οὗ is genitive by attraction to its antecedent τοῦ πνεύματος, even though it functions as the direct object in its clause. ἡμῖν 2° is the indirect object of ἔδωκεν. The aorist indicative form indicates a past completed action.