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 3:16: By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Footnotes

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

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