3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
3:3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
3:5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
3:6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
3:7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
3:10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
3:12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
3:13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
3:19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
3:20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
3:21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
3:22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
3:23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and we are. Because of this the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is.
3:3 And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, even as He is pure.
3:4 Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness also, and sin is lawlessness.
3:5 And you know that He was manifested that He might take away sins; and sin is not in Him.
3:6 Everyone who abides in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.
3:7 Little children, let no one lead you astray; he who practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous;
3:8 He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
3:9 Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.
3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.
3:11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
3:12 Not as Cain was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his works were evil, and his brother s, righteous.
3:13 Do not marvel, brothers, if the world hates you.
3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. He who does not love abides in death.
3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
3:16 In this we know love, that He laid down His life on our behalf, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers.
3:17 But whoever has the livelihood of the world and sees that his brother has need and shuts up his affections from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
3:18 Little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue but in deed and truthfulness.
3:19 And in this we will know that we are of the truth, and we will persuade our heart before Him,
3:20 Because if our heart blames us, it is because God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not blame us, we have boldness toward God;
3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
3:23 And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, even as He gave a commandment to us.
3:24 And he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And in this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave to us.