Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called and should be the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth not us, because it knew not him.

²Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God: and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when he shall appear we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is.

³And every one that hath this hope in him sanctifieth himself, as he also is holy.

⁴Whosoever committeth sin committeth also iniquity. And sin is iniquity.

⁵And you know that he appeared to take away our sins: and in him there is no sin.

⁶Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: and whosoever sinneth hath not seen him nor known him.

⁷Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doth justice is just, even as he is just.

⁸He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Whosoever is born of God committeth not sin: for his seed abideth in him. And he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

¹⁰In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever is not just is not of God, or he that loveth not his brother.

¹¹For this is the declaration which you have heard from the beginning, that you should love one another.

¹²Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and killed his brother. And wherefore did he kill him? Because his own works were wicked: and his brother’s just.

¹³Wonder not, brethren, if the world hate you.

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death.

¹⁵Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself.

¹⁶In this we have known the charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

¹⁷He that hath the substance of this world and shall see his brother in need and shall shut up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him?

¹⁸My little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

¹⁹In this we know that we are of the truth and in his sight shall persuade our hearts.

²⁰For if our heart reprehend us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.

²¹Dearly beloved, if our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards God.

²²And whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of him: because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.

²³And this is his commandment: That we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as he hath given commandment unto us.

²⁴And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And in this we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Chapter 4

Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

²By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

³And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. And this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh: and he is now already in the world.

⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome him. Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

⁵They are of the world. Therefore of the world they speak: and the world heareth them.

⁶We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

⁷Dearly beloved, let us love one another: for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

⁸He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is charity.

⁹By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we may live by him.

¹⁰In this is charity: not as though we had loved God, but because he hath first loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

¹¹My dearest, if God hath so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

¹²No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us: and his charity is perfected in us.

¹³In this we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he hath given us of his spirit.

¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father hath sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.

¹⁶And we have known and have believed the charity which God hath to us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him.

¹⁷In this is the charity of God perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment: because as he is, we also are in this world.

¹⁸Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath sin. And he that feareth is not perfected in charity.

¹⁹Let us therefore love God: because God first hath loved us.

²⁰If any man say: I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not?

²¹And this commandment we have from God, that he who loveth God love also his brother.

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