The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Letter 03
1 See how great a love the Father has
given to us, that we should be called
children of God! For this cause the world
doesn’t know us, because it didn’t 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, even 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 doesn’t sin.
Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t
know him.
7 Little children, let no one lead you
astray. He who does righteousness is righteous,
even as he is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil
has been sinning from the beginning. To
this end the Son of God was revealed: that
he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit
sin, because his seed remains in him, and
he can’t sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are revealed,
and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t
do righteousness isnot of God, neither is
he who doesn’t love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you
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 righteous.
13 Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the
world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed out of
death into life, because we love the
brothers. He who doesn’t 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 God’s love remain in him?
18 My little children, let’s not love in
word only, or with the tongue only, but in
deed and truth.
19 And by this we know that we are ofthe
truth and persuade our hearts before him,
20 because if our heart condemns us, God
is greater than our heart, and knows all
things.
21 Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn
us, we have boldness toward 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 inthename ofhis Son,Jesus
Christ, and love one another, even 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.