< 1 John 3 >
1 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 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 Indeed every one having this hope on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
4 Every one doing sin does also a transgression of the law: and sin is the transgression of the law.
5 And you know that he was manifested that he might take away sins; and in him there is no sin.
6 No one abiding in him is sinning: every one sinning does not see him, nor know him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. The one doing righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 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 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 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 Because this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we must love one another,
12 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 And be not astonished, brother, if the world hates you.
14 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 Every one hating his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in himself. (aiōnios )
16 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 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 Little children, let us love with divine love not in word, nor in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And in this we shall know that we are of the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before him;
20 because if our heart may condemn us, it is because God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God:
22 and whatsoever we may ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things pleasing before him.
23 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 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.
