1 JOHN 3
3 Just marvel at what kind of love that has
been given to us, that we may be called God’s children! But indeed we are! That means this world doesn’t know us,
because it didn’t know him. 2 Loved
ones, we are now God’s children and it’s not yet revealed what we will be. We do know that when he is revealed we will
be like him so that we may see him just as he is. 3 Everyone having this hope in him
keeps purifying himself just as that one is pure. 4 Everyone practising sin also
practises lawlessness – for sin is lawlessness – 5 and you know that that
one was revealed so he might bear those sins, and also that sin is not in him. 6 Everyone who stays in him isn’t
sinning, but everyone who is sinning has neither seen him nor known him. 7 Little children, may no one lead
you astray! The one practising
righteousness is righteous, just as that one is righteous. 8 The one practising sin is from
the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. This is why the son of God was revealed: that
he may be undoing the works of the devil.
9 Everyone born from God isn’t sinning because his seed lives
in him, and he isn’t enabled to sin because he has been born from God. 10 This is how God’s children and
the devil’s children are distinguished: everyone who doesn’t practise
righteousness is not from God, and neither is the one not loving his
brothers. 11 For this is the
message you heard from the start: that we should love each other – 12 not
like Cain, who was from the evil one and slaughtered his brother. And why did he slaughter him? Because his works were evil, but his
brother’s were righteous.
13 Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We have seen that we have moved out of death into life in that we love our brothers. The one who doesn’t love the brother remains in death. 15 Anyone hating his brother is a murderer, and you have seen that no murderer has the life of the Age living in him. 16 This is how we have known God’s love: that that one laid his life down for our sake – and we owe it to our brothers to lay the lives down. 17 Whoever has worldly possessions but watches his brother remain in need and closes his compassion off from him, how can God’s love be living in him? 18 My little children, may we not love in word or in tongue but in action and truth – 19 it’s in this we will know that we are of the truth and our hearts will be assured before him, 20 because even if our hearts accuse us, God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. 21 Loved ones, if our heart doesn’t accuse us, we have confidence towards God, 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him because we are keeping his commands and doing what is pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his command: that we should believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ, and that we love each other the way he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in them. This is how we know that he remains in us: by the Spirit he gave us.
13 Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We have seen that we have moved out of death into life in that we love our brothers. The one who doesn’t love the brother remains in death. 15 Anyone hating his brother is a murderer, and you have seen that no murderer has the life of the Age living in him. 16 This is how we have known God’s love: that that one laid his life down for our sake – and we owe it to our brothers to lay the lives down. 17 Whoever has worldly possessions but watches his brother remain in need and closes his compassion off from him, how can God’s love be living in him? 18 My little children, may we not love in word or in tongue but in action and truth – 19 it’s in this we will know that we are of the truth and our hearts will be assured before him, 20 because even if our hearts accuse us, God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. 21 Loved ones, if our heart doesn’t accuse us, we have confidence towards God, 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him because we are keeping his commands and doing what is pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his command: that we should believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ, and that we love each other the way he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in them. This is how we know that he remains in us: by the Spirit he gave us.