1 John 3
1 [Think about] how much our [heavenly] Father loves us! He allows us to (say that we are/be called) his children! [And it is indeed true that] we are [his children. But people in] the world [MTY] [who are unbelievers] have not understood [who] God [is]. So they do not understand [who we are], that we [belong to God].
ιδετε ποταπην αγαπην δεδωκεν ημιν ο πατηρ ινα τεκνα θεου κληθωμεν δια τουτο ο κοσμος ου γινωσκει υμας οτι ουκ εγνω αυτον
2 Dear friends, even though (at present/now) we are God’s children, [he] has not yet (made clear/revealed) [to us] what we will be like [in the future]. However, we know that when [Christ] comes back again, we will be like him, because we will see what he is [really] like.
αγαπητοι νυν τεκνα θεου εσμεν και ουπω εφανερωθη τι εσομεθα οιδαμεν δε οτι εαν φανερωθη ομοιοι αυτω εσομεθα οτι οψομεθα αυτον καθως εστιν
3 [So], all those who confidently expect [to see Christ as he actually is/what Christ is like when he returns] must keep themselves pure in every way, just like Christ, who is pure in every way.
και πας ο εχων την ελπιδα ταυτην επ αυτω αγνιζει εαυτον καθως εκεινος αγνος εστιν
4 But everyone who continues sinning is refusing to obey [God’s] laws, because that is what sin is, refusing to obey [God’s] laws.
πας ο ποιων την αμαρτιαν και την ανομιαν ποιει και η αμαρτια εστιν η ανομια
5 You know that Christ came in order to completely remove [the guilt of] our sins. You know also that he never sinned.
και οιδατε οτι εκεινος εφανερωθη ινα τας αμαρτιας ημων αρη και αμαρτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν
6 Those who continue [doing what] Christ wants them to, do not continue sinning repeatedly. But those who repeatedly sin have not understood [who Christ is], nor have they had a close relationship with him.
πας ο εν αυτω μενων ουχ αμαρτανει πας ο αμαρτανων ουχ εωρακεν αυτον ουδε εγνωκεν αυτον
7 [So I urge you, ] who are all very dear to me, do not let anyone deceive you [by telling you that it is all right to sin]. If you continue doing what is right, you are righteous, just like Christ is righteous.
τεκνια μηδεις πλανατω υμας ο ποιων την δικαιοσυνην δικαιος εστιν καθως εκεινος δικαιος εστιν
8 [But] if anyone continues sinning, he is like the devil, because the devil has always been sinning. [And] the reason why God’s Son became a human being was to destroy what the devil has done.
ο ποιων την αμαρτιαν εκ του διαβολου εστιν οτι απ αρχης ο διαβολος αμαρτανει εις τουτο εφανερωθη ο υιος του θεου ινα λυση τα εργα του διαβολου
9 People do not continue sinning repeatedly if they have become children of God. Instead, [they] continue [to conduct their lives according to the character/nature that God produced in them] [MET]. They cannot continually sin because God has caused them to become his children.
πας ο γεγεννημενος εκ του θεου αμαρτιαν ου ποιει οτι σπερμα αυτου εν αυτω μενει και ου δυναται αμαρτανειν οτι εκ του θεου γεγεννηται
10 Those who are God’s children are clearly different from those who are (the devil’s/Satan’s) children. [The way that we can know who are Satan’s children is this]: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children. [Specifically], those who do not love their fellow believers are not [God’s children Instead, they are Satan’s children].
εν τουτω φανερα εστιν τα τεκνα του θεου και τα τεκνα του διαβολου πας ο μη ποιων δικαιοσυνην ουκ εστιν εκ του θεου και ο μη αγαπων τον αδελφον αυτου
11 The message that you heard when you first [MTY] [believed in Christ] is that we should love each other.
οτι αυτη εστιν η αγγελια ην ηκουσατε απ αρχης ινα αγαπωμεν αλληλους
12 [We should] not [hate others] as did [Adam’s son], Cain, who belonged to [Satan], the evil one. [Because Cain hated his younger brother], he murdered him. (I will tell you about why he murdered his brother./Do you know why he murdered his brother [RHQ]?) It was because Cain habitually conducted his life in an evil way, and [he hated his younger brother] because his [younger] brother [conducted his life] righteously.
ου καθως καιν εκ του πονηρου ην και εσφαξεν τον αδελφον αυτου και χαριν τινος εσφαξεν αυτον οτι τα εργα αυτου πονηρα ην τα δε του αδελφου αυτου δικαια
13 You should not be amazed/surprised, my fellow believers, when [unbelievers] [MTY] hate you.
μη θαυμαζετε αδελφοι μου ει μισει υμας ο κοσμος
14 We know that we have been changed from [being spiritually] dead [MET] to [being spiritually] alive. We know this because we love our fellow believers. [Those who] do not love [their fellow believers] are still [spiritually] [MET] dead.
ημεις οιδαμεν οτι μεταβεβηκαμεν εκ του θανατου εις την ζωην οτι αγαπωμεν τους αδελφους ο μη αγαπων τον αδελφον μενει εν τω θανατω
15 Those who hate [any of] their fellow believers, [God considers] [MET] them [to be] murderers. And you know that no murderer has eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
πας ο μισων τον αδελφον αυτου ανθρωποκτονος εστιν και οιδατε οτι πας ανθρωποκτονος ουκ εχει ζωην αιωνιον εν εαυτω μενουσαν (aiōnios g166)
16 The way that we now know [how to truly] love [our fellow believers is by remembering] that Christ (voluntarily died/gave his life) for us. So, [when our fellow believers need something, we should be willing to help them. We should even be willing to] die for them.
εν τουτω εγνωκαμεν την αγαπην οτι εκεινος υπερ ημων την ψυχην αυτου εθηκεν και ημεις οφειλομεν υπερ των αδελφων τας ψυχας τιθεναι
17 Many [of us] have the things that are necessary for us to live in this world. If we become aware that any of our fellow believers do not have what they need and [if we] refuse to ([provide for them/give to them what they need]), it is clear that we do not love God [as we claim/say that we do].
ος δ αν εχη τον βιον του κοσμου και θεωρη τον αδελφον αυτου χρειαν εχοντα και κλειση τα σπλαγχνα αυτου απ αυτου πως η αγαπη του θεου μενει εν αυτω
18 [I say to] all of you whom I love dearly, let us not merely say [MTY] that [we love our fellow believers!] Let us genuinely/really love them by doing things [to help them]!
τεκνια μου μη αγαπωμεν λογω μηδε τη γλωσση αλλ εν εργω και αληθεια
19 When we [truly love our fellow believers], we can be sure that we are [conducting our lives according to] the true message. [As a result], we will not feel guilty/ashamed [when we talk] [MTY] to God.
και εν τουτω γινωσκομεν οτι εκ της αληθειας εσμεν και εμπροσθεν αυτου πεισομεν τας καρδιας ημων
20 [We can pray confidently], because [although] we might feel guilty/ashamed [about our sins], God is (greater/more worthy to be trusted) than what we feel. He knows everything [about us].
οτι εαν καταγινωσκη ημων η καρδια οτι μειζων εστιν ο θεος της καρδιας ημων και γινωσκει παντα
21 Dear friends, when we do not feel guilty [because of our sins], we can pray to God confidently.
αγαπητοι εαν η καρδια ημων μη καταγινωσκη ημων παρρησιαν εχομεν προς τον θεον
22 And, when we confidently pray to him and request [something from him], we receive it because we do what he commands [us to do], and because we do what pleases him.
και ο εαν αιτωμεν λαμβανομεν παρ αυτου οτι τας εντολας αυτου τηρουμεν και τα αρεστα ενωπιον αυτου ποιουμεν
23 [I will tell you] what he commands [us to do]: [We must] believe that Jesus Christ is (his Son/the one who is also God). [We must] also love each other, just like he commanded [us to do].
και αυτη εστιν η εντολη αυτου ινα πιστευσωμεν τω ονοματι του υιου αυτου ιησου χριστου και αγαπωμεν αλληλους καθως εδωκεν εντολην
24 Those who do what God commands are ones who have a close relationship with God, and God has a close relationship with them. [I will tell you how] we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us: It is because [we have] his Spirit, whom he gave to us, that we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us.
και ο τηρων τας εντολας αυτου εν αυτω μενει και αυτος εν αυτω και εν τουτω γινωσκομεν οτι μενει εν ημιν εκ του πνευματος ου ημιν εδωκεν
