1 John 3:8–20

8 The one who commits h sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God i was revealed j for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. 9 Everyone who has been born of God k does not sin, l because His m seed n remains in him; he is not able to sin, o because he has been born of God. 10 This is how God’s children—and the Devil’s children—are made evident.

The Command to Love

Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother. p 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, q who was of the evil one r and murdered s his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, * brothers, if the world hates t you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. u 15 Everyone who hates his brother v is a murderer, w and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Love in Action

16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life x for us. y We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. z 17 If anyone has this world’s goods a and sees his brother in need b but closes his eyes c to his need—how can God’s love reside in him? d

18 Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. e 19 This is how we will know we belong to the truth f and will convince our conscience in His presence, 20 even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things. g