1 John 1–2

1We write you now about what has always existed, which we have heard, we have seen with our own eyes, we have looked at, and we have touched with our hands. We write to you about the Word ⁿ that gives life. ²He who gives life was shown to us. We saw him and can give proof about it. And now we announce to you that he has life that continues forever. He was with God the Father and was shown to us. ³We announce to you what we have seen and heard, because we want you also to have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with God the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴We write this to you so we may be full of joy. ⁿ

God Forgives Our Sins

⁵Here is the message we have heard from Christ and now announce to you: God is light, ⁿ and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth. ⁷But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.

⁸If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done. ¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God’s teaching.

Jesus Is Our Helper

2My dear children, I write this letter to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a helper in the presence of the Father—Jesus Christ, the One who does what is right. ²He died in our place to take away our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of all people.

³We can be sure that we know God if we obey his commands. ⁴Anyone who says, “I know God,” but does not obey God’s commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. ⁵But if someone obeys God’s teaching, then in that person God’s love has truly reached its goal. This is how we can be sure we are living in God: ⁶Whoever says that he lives in God must live as Jesus lived.

The Command to Love Others

⁷My dear friends, I am not writing a new command to you but an old command you have had from the beginning. It is the teaching you have already heard. ⁸But also I am writing a new command to you, and you can see its truth in Jesus and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

⁹Anyone who says, “I am in the light,” ⁿ but hates a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light and will not cause anyone to stumble in his faith. ¹¹But whoever hates a brother or sister is in darkness, lives in darkness, and does not know where to go, because the darkness has made that person blind.

¹²I write to you, dear children,

because your sins are forgiven through Christ.

¹³I write to you, fathers,

because you know the One who existed from the beginning.

I write to you, young people,

because you have defeated the Evil One.

¹⁴I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,

because you know the One who existed from the beginning.

I write to you, young people,

because you are strong;

the teaching of God lives in you,

and you have defeated the Evil One.

¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. ¹⁶These are the ways of the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world. ¹⁷The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever.

Reject the Enemies of Christ

¹⁸My dear children, these are the last days. You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming, and now many enemies of Christ are already here. This is how we know that these are the last days. ¹⁹These enemies of Christ were in our fellowship, but they left us. They never really belonged to us; if they had been a part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, and this shows that none of them really belonged to us.

²⁰You have the gift ⁿ that the Holy One gave you, so you all know the truth.^{n 21}I do not write to you because you do not know the truth but because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth.

²²Who is the liar? It is the person who does not accept Jesus as the Christ. This is the enemy of Christ: the person who does not accept the Father and his Son. ²³Whoever does not accept the Son does not have the Father. But whoever confesses the Son has the Father, too.

²⁴Be sure you continue to follow the teaching you heard from the beginning. If you continue to follow what you heard from the beginning, you will stay in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵And this is what the Son promised to us—life forever.

²⁶I am writing this letter about those people who are trying to lead you the wrong way. ²⁷Christ gave you a special gift that is still in you, so you do not need any other teacher. His gift teaches you about everything, and it is true, not false. So continue to live in Christ, as his gift taught you.

²⁸Yes, my dear children, live in him so that when Christ comes back, we can be without fear and not be ashamed in his presence. ²⁹Since you know that Christ is righteous, you know that all who do right are God’s children.