<p>3:16- see on 1 Jn. 3:18.</p><p><i>Having a good conscience, that, when </i><em>you are spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of life in Christ</em>- Are slanderers really put to shame now by our good living? The putting to shame of the wicked is at the final judgment. The Greek phrase translated &quot;When&quot; might better be rendered 'In which...' or 'In that which'. At the day of judgment, it will be demonstrated that actually it was the slanderers who were guilty of the things they were accusing the believers of. And they will be put to shame at the last day for that. It is psychologically true and observable that slanderers will often accuse others of doing exactly that which they are doing. That is the principle of transference; they realize their sins, subconsciously, and know they should be punished for them. So they transfer those sins onto others, e.g. by slander, and seek to get them punished for those sins.</p>