3 See what kind of hlove the Father has given to us, that we should be called ichildren of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that jit did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that kwhen he appears1 we shall be llike him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to mtake away sins, and nin him there is no sin. 6 oNo one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either pseen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one qdeceive you. rWhoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to sdestroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s2 seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Love One Another
11 For tthis is the message uthat you have heard from the beginning, that we should vlove one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and wmurdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s xrighteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,3 that the world yhates you. 14 We know that we have zpassed out of death into life, abecause we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 bEveryone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 cBy this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But dif anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide ein him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are fof the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and gwhatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and hdo what pleases him. 23 And ithis is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and jlove one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 kWhoever keeps his commandments abides in God,4 and God5 in him. lAnd by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Test the Spirits
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but mtest the spirits to see whether they are from God, for nmany false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come oin the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the pantichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world qalready. 4 Little children, ryou are from God and shave overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 tThey are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. uWhoever vknows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the wSpirit of truth and the xspirit of error.
God Is Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been yborn of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 zIn this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the apropitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to blove one another. 12 cNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, dGod abides in us and his love is eperfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, fbecause he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and gtestify that the Father has sent his Son to be hthe Savior of the world. 15 iWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have jconfidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, k“I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a lliar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot1 love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Overcoming the World
5 mEveryone who believes that nJesus is the Christ has been born of God, and oeveryone who ploves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the qchildren of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For rthis is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And shis commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God tovercomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Testimony Concerning the Son of God
6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by uthe water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who vtestifies, because the wSpirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, xthe testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God yhas the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has zmade him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is ain his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son bhas life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
That You May Know
13 cI write these things to you who dbelieve in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the econfidence that we have toward him, that fif we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God1 will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that geveryone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that hwe are from God, and ithe whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may jknow him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. kHe is the ltrue God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
2 John
Greeting
1 aThe elder to the belect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who cknow the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 dGrace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
Walking in Truth and Love
4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children ewalking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—fnot as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we glove one another. 6 And hthis is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, ijust as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For jmany kdeceivers have gone out into the world, those who ldo not confess the coming of Jesus Christ min the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the nantichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but may win a full oreward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever pabides in the teaching qhas both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, rdo not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
Final Greetings
12 sThough I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead tI hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that uour joy may be complete.
13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
3 John
Greeting
1 aThe elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers1 came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are bwalking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Support and Opposition
5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, cstrangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing dfrom the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, ewho likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. fWhoever does good is from God; gwhoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that hour testimony is true.
Final Greetings
13 iI had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 jI hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, keach by name.
