I John 5

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

6This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Concluding Remarks
13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

16If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

I John 4

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God’s Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

I John 3

1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Love one another
11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

I John 2

Christ Is Our Advocate
1(A)My little children, I am (B)writing these things to you so that you may not sin And if anyone sins, (C)we have an [a](D)Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

2and He Himself is (E)the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also (F)for those of the whole world.

3(G)By this we know that we have come to (H)know Him, if we (I)keep His commandments.

4The one who says, “(J)I have come to (K)know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a (L)liar, and (M)the truth is not in him;

5but whoever (N)keeps His word, in him the (O)love of God has truly been perfected (P)By this we know that we are in Him:

6the one who says he (Q)abides in Him (R)ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

7(S)Beloved, I am (T)not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had (U)from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

8On the other hand, I am writing (V)a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because (W)the darkness is passing away and (X)the true Light is already shining.

9The one who says he is in the Light and yet (Y)hates his (Z)brother is in the darkness until now.

10(AA)The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

11But the one who (AB)hates his brother is in the darkness and (AC)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has (AD)blinded his eyes.

12I am writing to you, (AE)little children, because (AF)your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.

13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him (AG)who has been from the beginning I am writing to you, young men, because (AH)you have overcome (AI)the evil one I have written to you, children, because (AJ)you know the Father.

14I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him (AK)who has been from the beginning I have written to you, young men, because you are (AL)strong, and the (AM)word of God abides in you, and (AN)you have overcome the evil one.
Do Not Love the World
15Do not love (AO)the world nor the things in the world (AP)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16For all that is in the world, (AQ)the lust of the flesh and (AR)the lust of the eyes and (AS)the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

17(AT)The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who (AU)does the will of God lives forever.

18Children, (AV)it is the last hour; and just as you heard that (AW)antichrist is coming, (AX)even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.

19(AY)They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, (AZ)so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

20But you have an (BA)anointing from (BB)the Holy One, and (BC)you all know.

21I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but (BD)because you do know it, and because no lie is (BE)of the truth.

22Who is the liar but (BF)the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is (BG)the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

23(BH)Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

24As for you, let that abide in you which you heard (BI)from the beginning If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also (BJ)will abide in the Son and in the Father.
The Promise Is Eternal Life
25(BK)This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

26These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to (BL)deceive you.

27As for you, the (BM)anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing (BN)teaches you about all things, and is (BO)true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

28Now, (BP)little children, abide in Him, so that when He (BQ)appears, we may have (BR)confidence and (BS)not shrink away from Him in shame at His (BT)coming.

29If you know that (BU)He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness (BV)is born of Him.

I John

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
Walking in the light
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.