1 John 2
1 My children, I am writing to you to keep you from sinning; but if any one should sin, we have one who can plead for us with the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous —
My little children, I write these things to you, in order that you may not sin. And if any one may sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world besides.
he is the expiator for our sins: and not ours only, but indeed for the whole world.
3 And by this we know that we have learned to know him — by our laying his commands to heart.
And in this we know that we have known him, if we are keeping his commandments.
4 The man who says ‘I know Jesus,’ but does not lay his commands to heart, is a liar, and the Truth has no place in him;
The one saying, I have known him, and keeping not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
5 but, whenever a man lays his Message to heart, in that man the love of God has indeed reached its perfection. By this we know that we are in union with God —
but whosoever shall keep his word, truly the divine love of God has been made perfect in him. In this we know that we are in him.
6 He who professes to maintain union with God is himself bound to live as Christ lived.
The one saying that he abides in him ought himself so to walk about, as he also did walk about.
7 Dear friends, it is no new command that I am writing to you, but an old command, which you have had from the first. That old command is the Message to which you listened.
Beloved, I write no new commandment to you, but the old one which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.
8 Yet, again, it is a new Command that I am writing to you — manifest in Christ’s life and in your own — for the Darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
Again I do write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you: because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
9 He who says that he is in the Light, and yet hates his Brother, is in the Darkness even now.
The one saying that he is in the light, and hating his brother, is in the darkness until now.
10 He who loves his Brother is always in the Light, and there is nothing within him to cause him to stumble;
The one loving his brother with divine love abides in the light, and there is no stumbling in him.
11 while he who hates his Brother is in the Darkness, and is living in the Darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the Darkness prevents his seeing.
But the one hating his brother is in darkness, and walks about in darkness, and does not know whither he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I am writing, Children, to you, because your sins have been forgiven you for Christ’s sake.
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven through his name.
13 I am writing, Fathers, to you, because you have learned to know him who has been from the Beginning. I am writing, Young Men, to you, because you have conquered the Evil One. I write, Children, to you, because you have learned to know the Father.
I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you have conquered the wicked one. I have written unto you, little children, because you have known the Father.
14 I write, Fathers, to you, because you have learned to know him who has been from the Beginning. I write, Young Men, to you, because you are strong, and God’s Message is always in your hearts, and you have conquered the Evil One.
I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or what the world can offer. When any one loves the world, there is no love for the Father in him;
Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him:
16 for all that the world can offer — the gratification of the earthly nature, the gratification of the eye, the pretentious life — belongs, not to the Father, but to the world.
because this is all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world, and all that it gratifies, is passing away, but he who does God’s will remains for ever. (aiōn g165)
The world and its lust are indeed passing away; but the one doing the will of God abides forever. (aiōn g165)
18 My Children, these are the last days. You were told that an Anti-Christ was coming; and many Anti-Christs have already arisen. By that we know that these are the last days.
Little children, it is the last hour: and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, from which we know that it is the last hour.
19 From us, it is true, they went out, but they had never belonged to us; for, if they had belonged to us, they would have remained among us. They left us that it might be made clear that they do not, any of them, belong to us.
They came out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us: but in order that they might be made manifest that they are not all of us.
20 You, however, have received consecration from the Holy One.
You have an unction from the Holy One, and you all know.
21 You all know — But I am not writing to you because you do not know the Truth, but because you do know it, and because nothing false can come from the Truth.
I have not written unto you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is a liar, if not the man who rejects the truth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the Anti-Christ — The man who rejects the Father and the Son.
Who is a liar except the one denying that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist, the one denying the Father and the Son.
23 No one who rejects the Son has found the Father; he who acknowledges the Son has found the Father also.
No one denying the Son has the Father: the one confessing the Son has also the Father.
24 As for you, let what you were told at the first be always in your thoughts. If, then, what you were told at the first is always in your thoughts, you yourselves will maintain your union both with the Son and with the Father.
Let that which you heard from the beginning abide in you. If that which you heard from the beginning may abide in you, you also are abiding in the Son, and in the Father.
This is the message which he proclaimed unto you, eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
26 In writing thus to you, I have in mind those who are trying to mislead you.
I have written these things unto you concerning those deceiving you.
27 But you — you still retain in your hearts that consecration which you received from the Christ, and are not in need of any one to teach you; but, since his consecration of you teaches you about everything, and since it is a real consecration, and no lie, then, as it has taught you, maintain your union with him.
And the unction which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one may teach you: but as his unction teaches you concerning all things, and it is true, and it is no lie, and as he has taught you, abide in him.
28 Yes, my Children, maintain your union with Christ, so that, whenever he appears, our confidence may not fail us, and we may not be ashamed to meet him at his coming.
And now, little children, abide in him; in order that, if he may appear, we may have boldness, and not shrink with embarrassment from him in his presence.
29 Knowing him to be righteous, you realise that every one who lives righteously has received the new Life from him.
If you may know that he is righteous, know that every one doing righteousness has been born of him.
