Iohannis I 3
1 Videte qualem caritatem dedit nobis Pater, ut filii Dei nominemur et simus. Propter hoc mundus non novit nos: quia non novit eum.
Think what love the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called ‘Children of God’; as indeed we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it has not learned to know him.
2 Carissimi, nunc filii Dei sumus: et nondum apparuit quid erimus. Scimus quoniam cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus: quoniam videbimus eum sicuti est.
Dear friends, we are God’s Children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that, when it is revealed, we shall be like Christ; because we shall see him as he is.
3 Et omnis qui habet hanc spem in eo, sanctificat se, sicut et ille sanctus est.
And every one who has this hope with regard to Christ tries to make himself pure — as Christ is pure.
4 Omnis qui facit peccatum, et iniquitatem facit: et peccatum est iniquitas.
Every one who lives sinfully is living in violation of Law. Sin is violation of Law.
5 Et scitis quia ille apparuit ut peccata nostra tolleret: et peccatum in eo non est.
And you know that Christ appeared to take away our sins; and in him Sin has no place.
6 Omnis qui in eo manet, non peccat: et omnis qui peccat, non vidit eum, nec cognovit eum.
No one who maintains union with him lives in sin; no one who lives in sin has ever really seen him or learned to know him.
7 Filioli, nemo vos seducat. Qui facit justitiam, justus est, sicut et ille justus est.
My Children, do not let any one mislead you. He who lives righteously is righteous — as Christ is righteous.
8 Qui facit peccatum, ex diabolo est: quoniam ab initio diabolus peccat. In hoc apparuit Filius Dei, ut dissolvat opera diaboli.
He who lives sinfully belongs to the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the first. It was for this that the Son of God appeared, that he might undo the Devil’s work.
9 Omnis qui natus est ex Deo, peccatum non facit: quoniam semen ipsius in eo manet, et non potest peccare, quoniam ex Deo natus est.
No one who has received the new Life from God lives sinfully, because the very nature of God dwells within him; and he cannot live in sin, because he has received the new Life from God.
10 In hoc manifesti sunt filii Dei, et filii diaboli. Omnis qui non est justus, non est ex Deo, et qui non diligit fratrem suum:
By this the Children of God are distinguished from the Children of the Devil — No one who lives unrighteously comes from God, and especially the man who does not love his Brother.
11 quoniam hæc est annuntiatio, quam audistis ab initio, ut diligatis alterutrum.
For these are the Tidings that we heard from the first — that we are to love one another.
12 Non sicut Cain, qui ex maligno erat, et occidit fratrem suum. Et propter quid occidit eum? Quoniam opera ejus maligna erant: fratris autem ejus, justa.
We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother’s was good.
13 Nolite mirari, fratres, si odit vos mundus.
Do not wonder, Brothers, if the world hates you.
14 Nos scimus quoniam translati sumus de morte ad vitam, quoniam diligimus fratres. Qui non diligit, manet in morte:
We know that we have passed out of Death into Life, because we love our Brothers. The man who does not love remains in a state of Death.
15 omnis qui odit fratrem suum, homicida est. Et scitis quoniam omnis homicida non habet vitam æternam in semetipso manentem. (aiōnios g166)
Every one who hates his Brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has Immortal Life within him. (aiōnios g166)
16 In hoc cognovimus caritatem Dei, quoniam ille animam suam pro nobis posuit: et nos debemus pro fratribus animas ponere.
We have learned to know what love is from this — that Christ laid down his life on our behalf. Therefore we also ought to lay down our lives on behalf of our Brothers.
17 Qui habuerit substantiam hujus mundi, et viderit fratrem suum necessitatem habere, et clauserit viscera sua ab eo: quomodo caritas Dei manet in eo?
But, if any one has worldly possessions, and yet looks on while his Brother is in want, and steels his heart against him, how can it be said that the love of God is within him?
18 Filioli mei, non diligamus verbo neque lingua, sed opere et veritate:
My children, do not let our love be mere words, or end in talk; let it be true and show itself in acts.
19 in hoc cognoscimus quoniam ex veritate sumus: et in conspectu ejus suadebimus corda nostra.
By that we shall know that we are on the side of the Truth; and we shall satisfy ourselves in God’s sight,
20 Quoniam si reprehenderit nos cor nostrum: major est Deus corde nostro, et novit omnia.
that if our conscience condemns us, yet God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.
21 Carissimi, si cor nostrum non reprehenderit nos, fiduciam habemus ad Deum:
Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, then we approach God with confidence,
22 et quidquid petierimus, accipiemus ab eo: quoniam mandata ejus custodimus, et ea, quæ sunt placita coram eo, facimus.
and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we are laying his commands to heart, and are doing what is pleasing in his sight.
23 Et hoc est mandatum ejus: ut credamus in nomine Filii ejus Jesu Christi: et diligamus alterutrum, sicut dedit mandatum nobis.
His Command is this — that we should put our trust in the Name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, in accordance with the Command that he gave us.
24 Et qui servat mandata ejus, in illo manet, et ipse in eo: et in hoc scimus quoniam manet in nobis, de Spiritu quem dedit nobis.
And he who lays his commands to heart maintains union with Christ, and Christ with him. And by this we know that Christ maintains union with us — by our possession of the Spirit which he gave us.
