1 John 1:5–2:11

⁵And this is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practise the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Chapter 2

¹My children, these things I write to you in order that ye may not sin; and if any one sin, we have a patron with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ²and he is the propitiation for our sins; but not for ours alone, but also for the whole world.

³And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵but whoever keeps his word, in him verily the love of God is perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him. ⁶He that says he abides in him ought, even as he walked, himself also so to walk.

⁷Beloved, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment, which ye have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye heard. ⁸Again, I write a new commandment to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light already shines. ⁹He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰He that loves his brother abides in light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. ¹¹But he that hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and knows not where he goes, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.