1 John 1
1 This letter is about the Word of Life which existed from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our very own eyes and gazed upon, and which our hands have touched.
[I, John, am writing to you about] the one who existed before [there was anything else]. He is the one whom we [apostles] listened to [as he taught us!] We saw him! We ourselves looked at him and touched him! [He is the one who taught us] the message that [enables people to have eternal] life (OR, live [spiritually]).
2 This Life was revealed to us; we saw it and give evidence about it. We are telling you about the one who is Eternal Life, who was with the Father, and who was revealed to us. (aiōnios g166)
Because he came here [to the earth] and we have seen him, we proclaim to you clearly that the one whom we have seen is the [one who] has always lived. He was [previously] with his Father in heaven, but he came to live among us. (aiōnios g166)
3 What we have seen and heard we are now explaining to you, so that you may also share in this friendship together with us—this friendship that is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We proclaim to you the [message about Jesus], the one whom we saw and heard, in order that you may have a close relationship with us. The ones whom we have a close relationship with are God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ.
4 We're writing to tell you about this in order to make our happiness complete.
I am writing to you about these things so that [you (will be convinced/believe]) [that they are true, and as a] result we may be completely joyful.
5 This is the message we received from him and that we declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him at all.
The message that we heard from Christ and proclaim to you is this: God is [pure in every way. He never sins. He is like] [MET] a [brilliant] light that has no darkness at all.
6 If we claim to share this friendship with him and yet go on living in darkness, we're lying, and not living in the truth.
If we claim to have a close relationship with [God], but [we conduct our lives in an impure manner, that is like] living [MET] in [evil] darkness. We are lying. We are not conducting our lives according to [God’s] true message.
7 But if we are living in the light, as he is in the light, then we share in this friendship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, makes us clean from every sin.
But living [in a pure manner], as God is [living in a pure manner] [MET] [in every way, is like living] in God’s light. If we do that, we have a close relationship with each other. Not only that, but [God] (acquits us/removes [the guilt]) [of] all our sins because [he accepts] what his Son Jesus did for us [when his] blood [flowed from his body when he died. So we should conduct our lives] ([in a manner according to what God says is pure]).
8 If we claim to be sinless we only fool ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Those who say they never behave sinfully are deceiving themselves, and refusing [to accept as] true [what God says about them].
9 But if we confess our sins, he is trustworthy and right so that he can forgive us our sins and make us clean from all that is not right in us.
But God will do what he says that he will do, and what he does is [always] right. So, if we confess to him that we [have behaved] sinfully, he will forgive [us for] our sins and (will free us from/remove) [the guilt of] all our sins. [Because of that], [we should confess to him that we have behaved sinfully].
10 If we claim we haven't sinned, we turn him into a liar, and his word is not in us.
[Because God says that everyone has sinned], those who say/claim that they have never behaved sinfully talk [as though] God lies! They reject what God says [about us]!
