< Iohannis I 3 >

1 videte qualem caritatem dedit nobis Pater ut filii Dei nominemur et sumus propter hoc mundus non novit nos quia non novit eum
[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].
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, 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.
3 et omnis qui habet spem hanc in eo sanctificat se sicut et ille sanctus est
[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.
4 omnis qui facit peccatum et iniquitatem facit et peccatum est iniquitas
But everyone who continues sinning is refusing to obey [God’s] laws, because that is what sin is, refusing to obey [God’s] laws.
5 et scitis quoniam ille apparuit ut peccata tolleret et peccatum in eo non est
You know that Christ came in order to completely remove [the guilt of] our sins. You know also that he never sinned.
6 omnis qui in eo manet non peccat omnis qui peccat non vidit eum nec cognovit eum
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.
7 filioli nemo vos seducat qui facit iustitiam iustus est sicut et ille iustus est
[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.
8 qui facit peccatum ex diabolo est quoniam ab initio diabolus peccat in hoc apparuit Filius Dei ut dissolvat opera diaboli
[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.
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
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.
10 in hoc manifesti sunt filii Dei et filii diaboli omnis qui non est iustus non est de Deo et qui non diligit fratrem suum
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].
11 quoniam haec est adnuntiatio quam audistis ab initio ut diligamus alterutrum
The message that you heard when you first [MTY] [believed in Christ] is that we should love each other.
12 non sicut Cain ex maligno erat et occidit fratrem suum et propter quid occidit eum quoniam opera eius maligna erant fratris autem eius iusta
[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.
13 nolite mirari fratres si odit vos mundus
You should not be amazed/surprised, my fellow believers, when [unbelievers] [MTY] hate you.
14 nos scimus quoniam translati sumus de morte in vitam quoniam diligimus fratres qui non diligit manet in morte
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.
15 omnis qui odit fratrem suum homicida est et scitis quoniam omnis homicida non habet vitam aeternam in se manentem (aiōnios g166)
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)
16 in hoc cognovimus caritatem quoniam ille pro nobis animam suam posuit et nos debemus pro fratribus animas ponere
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.
17 qui habuerit substantiam mundi et viderit fratrem suum necesse habere et clauserit viscera sua ab eo quomodo caritas Dei manet in eo
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].
18 filioli non diligamus verbo nec lingua sed opere et veritate
[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]!
19 in hoc cognoscimus quoniam ex veritate sumus et in conspectu eius suadeamus corda nostra
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.
20 quoniam si reprehenderit nos cor maior est Deus corde nostro et novit omnia
[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].
21 carissimi si cor non reprehenderit nos fiduciam habemus ad Deum
Dear friends, when we do not feel guilty [because of our sins], we can pray to God confidently.
22 et quodcumque petierimus accipiemus ab eo quoniam mandata eius custodimus et ea quae sunt placita coram eo facimus
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.
23 et hoc est mandatum eius ut credamus in nomine Filii eius Iesu Christi et diligamus alterutrum sicut dedit mandatum nobis
[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].
24 et qui servat mandata eius in illo manet et ipse in eo et in hoc scimus quoniam manet in nobis de Spiritu quem nobis dedit
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.

< Iohannis I 3 >