⁸The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,^f because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God^g appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.^h ⁹No one who is born of Godⁱ will continue to sin,^j because God’s seed^k remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰This is how we know who the children of God^l are and who the children of the devil^m are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not loveⁿ their brother and sister.^o

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹For this is the message you heard^p from the beginning:^q We should love one another.^r ¹²Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one^s and murdered his brother.^t And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.^u ¹³Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,^b if the world hates you.^v ¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life,^w because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.^x ¹⁵Anyone who hates a brother or sister^y is a murderer,^z and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.^a

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Footnotes

bThe Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.

Cross references

fver 10; Jn 8:44
gSee Mt 4:3
h Heb 2:14
iSee Jn 1:13
jver 6; Ps 119:3; 1 Jn 5:18
k 1 Pe 1:23
lver 1, 2; See Jn 1:12
mver 8
n 1 Jn 4:8
oSee 1 Jn 2:9
p 1 Jn 1:5
qSee 1 Jn 2:7
r Jn 13:34, 35; 15:12; 1 Jn 4:7, 11, 21; 2 Jn 5
sSee Mt 5:37
t Ge 4:8
u Ps 38:20; Pr 29:10
v Jn 15:18, 19; 17:14
w Jn 5:24
xSee 1 Jn 2:9
ySee 1 Jn 2:9
z Mt 5:21, 22; Jn 8:44
a Gal 5:20, 21; Rev 21:8