1 John 1–2

PROLOGUE: OUR DECLARATION

1What was from the beginning,^a what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word^b of life—²that life was revealed,^c and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us^d—³what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship^e with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father^f and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴We are writing these things^A so that our^B joy^g may be complete.

FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light,^h and there is absolutely no darkness in him.^{i 6}If we say, “We have fellowship^j with him,” and yet we walk in darkness,^k we are lying and are not practicing the truth.^{l 7}If we walk in the light^m as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesusⁿ his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say, “We have no sin,”^o we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive^p us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word^q is not in us.^r

2My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate^s with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. ²He himself is the atoning sacrifice^Ct for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.^u

GOD’S COMMANDS

³This is how we know^v that we know him: if we keep his commands.^{w 4}The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoever keeps his word,^x truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him:^{y 6}The one who says he remains in him^z should walk just as he walked.

⁷Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command^aa but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the word^ab you have heard. ⁸Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away^ac and the true light^ad is already shining.^{ae 9}The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister^af is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰The one who loves his brother or sister^ag remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.^{D 11}But the one who hates his brother or sister^ah is in the darkness, walks in the darkness,^ai and doesn’t know where he’s going,^aj because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

REASONS FOR WRITING

¹²I am writing to you, little children,

since your sins have been forgiven

on account of his name.^ak

¹³I am writing to you, fathers,

because you have come to know

the one who is from the beginning.^al

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have conquered the evil one.^am

¹⁴I have written to you, children,

because you have come to know the Father.

I have written to you, fathers,

because you have come to know

the one who is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men,

because you are strong,

God’s word^an remains in you,

and you have conquered the evil one.

A WARNING ABOUT THE WORLD

¹⁵Do not love the world^ao or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,^ap the lust of the eyes,^aq and the pride^ar in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷And the world with its lust is passing away,^a but the one who does the will of God^b remains forever.^c

THE LAST HOUR

¹⁸Children, it is the last hour.^d And as you have heard that antichrist^e is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

²⁰But you have an anointing^f from the Holy One,^g and all of you know the truth.^{A 21}I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. ²²Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?^h This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. ²³No one who denies the Son has the Father;ⁱ he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.^j

REMAINING WITH GOD

²⁴What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son^k and in the Father.^{l 25}And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.^m

²⁶I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all thingsⁿ and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you,^B remain in him.^o

GOD’S CHILDREN

²⁸So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears^p we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.^{q 29}If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him.^rs