1 John 3:8–18

⁸Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this very reason, to destroy what the Devil had done.

⁹None of those who are children of God continue to sin, for God’s very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin. ¹⁰This is the clear difference between God’s children and the Devil’s children: all who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God’s children.

Love One Another

^11*The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another. ^12*We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, but the things his brother did were right.

¹³So do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the people of the world hate you. ^14*We know that we have left death and come over into life; we know it because we love our brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love is still under the power of death. ¹⁵All who hate others are murderers, and you know that murderers have not got eternal life in them. ¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for our brothers and sisters! ¹⁷Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God. ¹⁸My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.