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.
See how great a sincere love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! Because the world didn’t know Him, it doesn’t know us.
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 we are children of God, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when He appears we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
3 All those who have this hope in them make sure they are pure, just as he is pure.
Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 All those who sin are lawless, because sin is lawlessness.
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.
5 But of course you know that Jesus came to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.
You know that He appeared to take away sins. There is no sin in Him.
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 who lives in Him sins. No one who sins has seen Him or knows 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, don’t let anybody deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just 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 who practices sin is the Devil’s, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, 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.
No one who is born of God practices sin, because God’s seed lives in him. He can’t continue to sin, because he is 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.
By this the children of God and the children of the Devil are obvious: anyone who doesn’t practice righteousness is not God’s, and neither is anyone who doesn’t sincerely love his brother or sister.
11 The message you've heard from the beginning is simply this: we should love one another.
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should sincerely 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.
Don’t be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because Cain’s deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 So don't be surprised, my friends, if this world hates you!
Don’t be surprised, brothers and sisters, 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 death into life, because we sincerely love our brothers and sisters. Whoever doesn’t sincerely love lives in 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)
Whoever hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life living in him. (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.
By this we know God’s sincere love, because He laid down His life for us. So we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
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?
If someone has this world’s goods, and sees a brother in need, and closes up his heart of compassion from him, how does God’s sincere love live 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.
My little children, let’s not sincerely love just in words or in language, 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
This is how we will know that we belong to the truth, and how we will 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.
whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, 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 hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 We'll receive from him whatever we ask him for, because we follow his commands and do what pleases him.
and we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do the things that please 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.
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that we sincerely love one another, just as He commanded us.
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.
Whoever keeps His commandments lives in Him, and He lives in that person. This is how we know that He lives in us: by the Spirit He has given us.
