1 Look at the kind of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world does not know us: because it did not know him.
2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.
3 And everyone who holds this hope fixed on him purifies himself, as he is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well; sin is lawlessness.
5 And you know that he was made manifest to bear away our sins, and in him sin does not exist.
6 No one abiding in him sins; no one sinning has seen him or known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever does righteousness is righteous, even as that one is righteous.
8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning since the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this reason, to undo the works of the devil.
9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because his seed abides in him; and he is not able to go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are made manifest: everyone who does not do righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message you heard from the start: that we should love one another.
12 We must not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and slaughtered his brother. And for what reason did he slaughter him? Because his own deeds were evil, while his brother's were righteous.
13 Do not wonder, my brothers, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have crossed over out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love his brother abides in death.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 In this we have come to know the love of God: that he laid down his life on our behalf; and we too are bound to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers.
17 But if anyone has the means of life in this world and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let our love not be a matter of words or talk, but of action and truth.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and will persuade our hearts before him;
20 for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness before God,
22 and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his eyes.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment.
24 The one who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, from the Spirit he has given us.