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 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 spem hanc 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 quoniam ille apparuit ut peccata 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 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 iustitiam iustus est sicut et ille iustus 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 iustus non est de 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 haec est adnuntiatio quam audistis ab initio ut diligamus alterutrum
For these are the Tidings that we heard from the first — that we are to love one another.
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 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 in 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 aeternam in se 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 quoniam ille pro nobis animam suam 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 mundi et viderit fratrem suum necesse 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 non diligamus verbo nec 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 eius suadeamus 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 maior 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 non reprehenderit nos fiduciam habemus ad Deum
Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, then we approach God with confidence,
22 et quodcumque petierimus accipiemus ab eo quoniam mandata eius custodimus et ea quae 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 eius ut credamus in nomine Filii eius Iesu 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 eius in illo manet et ipse in eo et in hoc scimus quoniam manet in nobis de Spiritu quem nobis dedit
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.
