Children of God
1 See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be, but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him. 6 Whoever remains in him does not sin. Whoever sins has not seen him and does not know him.
Love One Another
7 Little children, let no one lead you astray: he who does what is right is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever is born of God does not practice sin, because his seed remains in him, and he cannot practice sinning, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death into life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love his brother remains in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth and assure our conscience in his presence, 20 because if our conscience condemns us, God is greater than our conscience, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our consciences do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, 22 so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded. 24 He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.