²⁸So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears ^pwe may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ^q²⁹If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right ^rhas been born of Him. ^s3¹Look at how great a love ^tthe Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. ²Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. ^uWe know that when He appears, we will be like Him ^vbecause we will see Him as He is. ^w³And everyone who has this hope ^xin Him purifies himself just as He is pure. ^y

⁴Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; ^zsin is the breaking of law. ⁵You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, ^a^band there is no sin in Him. ^c⁶Everyone who remains in Him ^ddoes not sin; ^e^feveryone who ^gsins has not seen Him or known Him.

⁷Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. ⁸The one who commits ^hsin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God ⁱwas revealed ^jfor this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. ⁹Everyone who has been born of God ^kdoes not sin, ^lbecause His ^mseed ⁿremains in him; he is not able to sin, ^obecause he has been born of God. ¹⁰This 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. ^p¹¹For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, ¹²unlike Cain, ^qwho was of the evil one ^rand murdered ^shis brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates ^tyou. ¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. ^u¹⁵Everyone who hates his brother ^vis a murderer, ^wand you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Love in Action

¹⁶This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life ^xfor us. ^yWe should also lay down our lives for our brothers. ^z¹⁷If anyone has this world’s goods ^aand sees his brother in need ^bbut closes his eyes ^cto his need—how can God’s love reside in him? ^d

¹⁸Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. ^e

Read in Logos

1 John 3:1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Footnotes

t3:1 Or at what sort of love
z3:4 Or also commits iniquity
a3:5 Other read our sins
e3:6 Or not keep on sinning
g3:6 Or who keeps on sinning
h3:8 Or practices
l3:9 Or not practice sin
m3:9 God’s
o3:9 Or to keep on sinning
s3:12 Or slaughtered

Cross references

p2:28 Lk 17:30; Col 3:4; 1Jn 3:2
q2:28 1Th 2:19
r2:29 Gn 18:19; Dt 6:18; 1Jn 3:7, 10
s2:29 Jn 1:12–13; 3:3–7; 8:41; 1Jn 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18
u3:2 2Co 4:11; 1Pt 5:4; 1Jn 2:28
v3:2 Rm 8:29; 1Co 15:49; 2Co 3:18; Php 3:21; 2Pt 1:4
w3:2 1Co 13:12; Heb 12:14; Rv 22:4
x3:3 Ac 23:6; 1Th 1:3
y3:3 Php 4:8
b3:5 Jn 1:29; 1Co 15:3; Heb 10:4; 1Pt 2:24
c3:5 2Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 1Pt 2:21–22; 3:18; 1Jn 2:29
d3:6 Jn 15:4–7; 1Jn 2:6, 24, 27–28; 3:24; 4:13, 15–16
f3:6 Rm 6:11–12; 1Jn 2:29; 5:18
i3:8 Mk 1:11
j3:8 Jn 21:1; 2Co 4:11; 1Pt 5:4; 1Jn 5:20
k3:9 1Jn 2:29
n3:9 1Pt 1:23
p3:10 1Jn 2:10; 3:14–17; 4:20–21
q3:12 Gn 4:1; Jd 11
r3:12 2Th 3:3
t3:13 Jn 17:14
u3:14 Jn 8:51
v3:15 1Jn 2:9, 11; 4:20
w3:15 Mt 5:21–22; Jn 8:44
x3:16 Jn 10:11, 14, 17–18; 13:37–38; 15:13
y3:16 Is 53:10; Mk 10:45
z3:16 Mk 8:34–35; 1Co 11:1; Php 2:5–8
a3:17 Mk 12:44; Lk 15:12; 1Jn 2:16
b3:17 Ac 2:45
c3:17 2Co 7:15
d3:17 Jms 2:15–16; 1Jn 2:5
e3:18 Mt 7:21; Jn 13:34–35; 15:12–17; Jms 1:22–25; 2:14–17