1Chapter
1We want to tell you about the Word that gives life—the one who existed before the world began. This is the one we have heard and have seen with our own eyes. We saw what he did, and our hands touched him. 2Yes, the one who is life was shown to us. We saw him, and so we can tell others about him. We now tell you about him. He is the eternal life that was with God the Father and was shown to us. 3We are telling you about what we have seen and heard because we want you to have fellowship with us. The fellowship we share together is with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 4We write these things to you so that you can be full of joy with us.
God Forgives Our Sins
5We heard the true teaching from God. Now we tell it to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness. 6So if we say that we share in life with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars, who don’t follow the truth. 7We should live in the light, where God is. If we live in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God’s Son, washes away every sin and makes us clean.
8If we say that we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar and that we don’t accept his true teaching.
8If we say that we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar and that we don’t accept his true teaching.
2Chapter
Jesus Is Our Helper
1My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so he is able to defend us before God the Father. 2Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.
3If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we know him. 4If we say we know God but do not obey his commands, we are lying. The truth is not in us. 5But when we obey God’s teaching, his love is truly working in us. This is how we know that we are living in him. 6If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.
3If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we know him. 4If we say we know God but do not obey his commands, we are lying. The truth is not in us. 5But when we obey God’s teaching, his love is truly working in us. This is how we know that we are living in him. 6If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.
Jesus Told Us to Love Others
7My dear friends, I am not writing a new command to you. It is the same command you have had since the beginning. This command is the teaching you have already heard. 8But what I write is also a new command. It is a true one; you can see its truth in Jesus and in yourselves. The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
9Someone might say, “I am in the light,” but if they hate any of their brothers or sisters in God’s family, they are still in the darkness. 10Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong. 11But whoever hates their brother or sister is in darkness. They live in darkness. They don’t know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.
12I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ.
13I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong. The word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.
15Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16This is all there is in the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. But none of these comes from the Father. They come from the world. 17The world is passing away, and all the things that people want in the world are passing away. But whoever does what God wants will live forever.
9Someone might say, “I am in the light,” but if they hate any of their brothers or sisters in God’s family, they are still in the darkness. 10Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong. 11But whoever hates their brother or sister is in darkness. They live in darkness. They don’t know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.
12I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ.
13I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong. The word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.
15Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16This is all there is in the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. But none of these comes from the Father. They come from the world. 17The world is passing away, and all the things that people want in the world are passing away. But whoever does what God wants will live forever.
Don’t Follow the Enemies of Christ
18My dear children, the end is near! You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming. And now many enemies of Christ are already here. So we know that the end is near. 19These enemies were in our group, but they left us. They did not really belong with us. If they were really part of our group, they would have stayed with us. But they left. This shows that none of them really belonged with us.
20You have the gift that the Holy One gave you. So you all know the truth. 21Do you think I am writing this letter because you don’t know the truth? No, I am writing because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth.
22So who is the liar? It is the one who says Jesus is not the Messiah. Whoever says that is the enemy of Christ—the one who does not believe in the Father or in his Son. 23Whoever does not believe in the Son does not have the Father, but whoever accepts the Son has the Father too.
24Be sure that you continue to follow the teaching you heard from the beginning. If you do that, you will always be in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what the Son promised us—eternal life.
26I am writing this letter about those who are trying to lead you into the wrong way. 27Christ gave you a special gift. You still have this gift in you. So you don’t need anyone to teach you. The gift he gave you teaches you about everything. It is a true gift, not a false one. So continue to live in Christ, as his gift taught you.
28Yes, my dear children, live in him. If we do this, we can be without fear on the day when Christ comes again. We will not need to hide and be ashamed when he comes. 29You know that Christ always did what was right. So you know that all those who do what is right are God’s children.
20You have the gift that the Holy One gave you. So you all know the truth. 21Do you think I am writing this letter because you don’t know the truth? No, I am writing because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth.
22So who is the liar? It is the one who says Jesus is not the Messiah. Whoever says that is the enemy of Christ—the one who does not believe in the Father or in his Son. 23Whoever does not believe in the Son does not have the Father, but whoever accepts the Son has the Father too.
24Be sure that you continue to follow the teaching you heard from the beginning. If you do that, you will always be in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what the Son promised us—eternal life.
26I am writing this letter about those who are trying to lead you into the wrong way. 27Christ gave you a special gift. You still have this gift in you. So you don’t need anyone to teach you. The gift he gave you teaches you about everything. It is a true gift, not a false one. So continue to live in Christ, as his gift taught you.
28Yes, my dear children, live in him. If we do this, we can be without fear on the day when Christ comes again. We will not need to hide and be ashamed when he comes. 29You know that Christ always did what was right. So you know that all those who do what is right are God’s children.
3Chapter
We Are God’s Children
1The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God. We have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him. We will see him just as he is. 3He is pure, and everyone who has this hope in him keeps themselves pure like Christ.
4Anyone who sins breaks God’s law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God’s law. 5You know that Christ came to take away people’s sins. There is no sin in Christ. 6So whoever lives in Christ does not continue to sin. If they continue to sin, they have never really understood Christ and have never known him.
7Dear children, don’t let anyone lead you into the wrong way. Christ always did what was right. So to be good like Christ, you must do what is right. 8The devil has been sinning since the beginning. Anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this: to destroy the devil’s work.
9Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin, because the new life God gave them stays in them. They cannot keep sinning, because they have become children of God. 10So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are. These are the ones who are not God’s children: those who don’t do what is right and those who do not love their brothers and sisters in God’s family.
4Anyone who sins breaks God’s law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God’s law. 5You know that Christ came to take away people’s sins. There is no sin in Christ. 6So whoever lives in Christ does not continue to sin. If they continue to sin, they have never really understood Christ and have never known him.
7Dear children, don’t let anyone lead you into the wrong way. Christ always did what was right. So to be good like Christ, you must do what is right. 8The devil has been sinning since the beginning. Anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this: to destroy the devil’s work.
9Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin, because the new life God gave them stays in them. They cannot keep sinning, because they have become children of God. 10So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are. These are the ones who are not God’s children: those who don’t do what is right and those who do not love their brothers and sisters in God’s family.
We Must Love One Another
11This is the teaching you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other. 12Don’t be like Cain. He belonged to the Evil One. Cain killed his brother. But why did he kill him? Because what Cain did was evil, and what his brother did was good.
13Brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised when the people of this world hate you. 14We know that we have left death and have come into life. We know this because we love each other as brothers and sisters. Anyone who does not love is still in death. 15Anyone who hates a fellow believer is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life.
16This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters. 17Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God’s love is not in that person’s heart. 18My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.
19-20That’s how we know we belong to the way of truth. And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God, because God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything.
21My dear friends, if we don’t feel that we are doing wrong, we can be without fear when we come to God. 22And God gives us what we ask for. We receive it because we obey God’s commands and do what pleases him. 23This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and that we love each other as he commanded. 24All who obey God’s commands live in God. And God lives in them. How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit he gave us.
13Brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised when the people of this world hate you. 14We know that we have left death and have come into life. We know this because we love each other as brothers and sisters. Anyone who does not love is still in death. 15Anyone who hates a fellow believer is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life.
16This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters. 17Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God’s love is not in that person’s heart. 18My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.
19-20That’s how we know we belong to the way of truth. And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God, because God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything.
21My dear friends, if we don’t feel that we are doing wrong, we can be without fear when we come to God. 22And God gives us what we ask for. We receive it because we obey God’s commands and do what pleases him. 23This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and that we love each other as he commanded. 24All who obey God’s commands live in God. And God lives in them. How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit he gave us.
4Chapter
John Warns Against False Teachers
1My dear friends, many false prophets are in the world now. So don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. 2This is how you can recognize God’s Spirit. One spirit says, “I believe that Jesus is the Messiah who came to earth and became a man.” That Spirit is from God. 3Another spirit refuses to say this about Jesus. That spirit is not from God. This is the spirit of the enemy of Christ. You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming, and now he is already in the world.
4My dear children, you belong to God, so you have already defeated these false prophets. That’s because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5And they belong to the world, so what they say is from the world too. And the world listens to what they say. 6But we are from God. So the people who know God listen to us. But the people who are not from God don’t listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit that is true and the spirit that is false.
4My dear children, you belong to God, so you have already defeated these false prophets. That’s because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5And they belong to the world, so what they say is from the world too. And the world listens to what they say. 6But we are from God. So the people who know God listen to us. But the people who are not from God don’t listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit that is true and the spirit that is false.
Love Comes From God
7Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him. 10True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins.
11That is how much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. 12No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each other, God’s love has reached its goal—it is made perfect in us.
13We know that we live in God and God lives in us. We know this because he gave us his Spirit. 14We have seen that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world, and this is what we tell people now. 15Anyone who says, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God,” is a person who lives in God, and God lives in that person. 16So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. 17If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus. 18Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is his punishment that makes a person fear. So his love is not made perfect in the one who has fear.
19We love because God first loved us. 20If we say we love God but hate any of our brothers or sisters in his family, we are liars. If we don’t love someone we have seen, how can we love God? We have never even seen him. 21God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters.
11That is how much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. 12No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each other, God’s love has reached its goal—it is made perfect in us.
13We know that we live in God and God lives in us. We know this because he gave us his Spirit. 14We have seen that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world, and this is what we tell people now. 15Anyone who says, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God,” is a person who lives in God, and God lives in that person. 16So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. 17If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus. 18Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is his punishment that makes a person fear. So his love is not made perfect in the one who has fear.
19We love because God first loved us. 20If we say we love God but hate any of our brothers or sisters in his family, we are liars. If we don’t love someone we have seen, how can we love God? We have never even seen him. 21God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters.
5Chapter
God’s Children Win Against the World
1The people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah are God’s children. Anyone who loves the Father also loves the Father’s children. 2How do we know that we love God’s children? We know because we love God and we obey his commands. 3Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
God Told Us About His Son
6Jesus Christ is the one who came. He came with water and with blood. He did not come by water only. No, Jesus came by both water and blood. And the Spirit tells us that this is true. The Spirit is the truth. 7So there are three witnesses that tell us about Jesus: 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three witnesses agree.
9We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important. And this is what God told us: He told us the truth about his own Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. But people who do not believe God make God a liar, because they do not believe what God told us about his Son. 11This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
9We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important. And this is what God told us: He told us the truth about his own Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. But people who do not believe God make God a liar, because they do not believe what God told us about his Son. 11This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
We Have Eternal Life Now
13I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. 14We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. 15He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.
16Suppose you see your fellow believer sinning (sin that does not lead to eternal death). You should pray for them. Then God will give them life. I am talking about people whose sin does not lead to eternal death. There is sin that leads to death. I don’t mean that you should pray about that kind of sin. 17Doing wrong is always sin. But there is sin that does not lead to eternal death.
18We know that those who have been made God’s children do not continue to sin. The Son of God keeps them safe. The Evil One cannot hurt them. 19We know that we belong to God, but the Evil One controls the whole world. 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding. So now we can know the one who is true, and we live in that true God. We are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and he is eternal life. 21So, dear children, keep yourselves away from false gods.
16Suppose you see your fellow believer sinning (sin that does not lead to eternal death). You should pray for them. Then God will give them life. I am talking about people whose sin does not lead to eternal death. There is sin that leads to death. I don’t mean that you should pray about that kind of sin. 17Doing wrong is always sin. But there is sin that does not lead to eternal death.
18We know that those who have been made God’s children do not continue to sin. The Son of God keeps them safe. The Evil One cannot hurt them. 19We know that we belong to God, but the Evil One controls the whole world. 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding. So now we can know the one who is true, and we live in that true God. We are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and he is eternal life. 21So, dear children, keep yourselves away from false gods.
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