1 John 3
1 Look at the amazing kind of love the Father has for us! This is why we can be called God's children—for that's who we are! The reason why the people of this world don't recognize us as God's children is because they don't recognize him.
Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God; and we are. And on this account the world does not know us, because it did not know him.
2 My friends, we are already God's children; however what we shall become hasn't been revealed just yet. But we do know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.
Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it is not yet manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he may be made manifest, we shall be like him; because we shall see him as he is.
3 All those who have this hope in them make sure they are pure, just as he is pure.
Indeed every one having this hope on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
4 All those who sin are lawless, because sin is lawlessness.
Every one doing sin does also a transgression of the law: and sin is the transgression of the law.
5 But of course you know that Jesus came to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.
And you know that he was manifested that he might take away sins; and in him there is no sin.
6 All those who live in him don't go on sinning; all those who keep on sinning haven't seen him and haven't known him.
No one abiding in him is sinning: every one sinning does not see him, nor know him.
7 Dear friends, don't let anyone fool you: those who do what is right are right, in the same way as Jesus is right.
Little children, let no one deceive you. The one doing righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 Those who sin are of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. That's the reason why the Son of God came—to destroy what the devil has done.
The one doing sin is of the devil; because the devil sins from the beginning. Unto this the Son of God was made manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 All those who are born of God don't keep on sinning, for God's nature lives in them. They can't keep on sinning because they are born of God.
Every one having been born of God does not sin; because his seed remains in him: and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God.
10 This is how God's children and the devil's children can be distinguished: all those who don't do what's right don't belong to God, nor do those who don't love their fellow Christians.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: every one not doing righteousness is not of God, and the one not loving his brother with divine love.
11 The message you've heard from the beginning is simply this: we should love one another.
Because this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we must love one another,
12 We cannot be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one, and murdered his brother. Why did he murder him? Because Cain did what was evil, while his brother did what was right.
not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother; and on account of what did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.
13 So don't be surprised, my friends, if this world hates you!
And be not astonished, brother, if the world hates you.
14 The reason we know that we have changed from death to life is because we love our Christian brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love remains dead.
We know that we have passed out of the death into the life, because we love the brethren with divine love; the one loving not with divine love, abides in the death.
15 All those who hate their Christian brothers and sisters are murderers, and you know that no murderers have eternal life within them! (aiōnios g166)
Every one hating his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in himself. (aiōnios g166)
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.
In this we know the divine love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 If one of you is living well in this world and you see your Christian brother or sister in need, but you don't show compassion—how can God's love be living in you?
Whosoever may have the sustenance of the world, and see his brother having need, and shut up his sympathies from him, how dwells the divine love of God in him?
18 Dear friends, let's not just say we love with words, but show our love in what we do and how we demonstrate the truth.
Little children, let us love with divine love not in word, nor in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth, and how we will set our minds at rest before God
And in this we shall know that we are of the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before him;
20 whenever we think we're in the wrong. God is greater than how we think, and he knows everything.
because if our heart may condemn us, it is because God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things.
21 Dear friends, if we're reassured we're not in the wrong, we can have confidence before God.
Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God:
22 We'll receive from him whatever we ask him for, because we follow his commands and do what pleases him.
and whatsoever we may ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things pleasing before him.
23 This is what he commands: we should trust in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us to do.
And this is his commandment, that we may believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and we may love one another with divine love, as he has given to us commandment.
24 Those who keep his commands continue to live in him, and he lives in them. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit he has given us.
And the one keeping his commandments abides in him, and he in him; and in this we know that he abides in us, he has given us of his Spirit.
