Announcement about the word of life

1 We announce to you what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have seen and our hands handled, about the word of life. ² The life was revealed, and we have seen, and we testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. ³ What we have seen and heard, we also announce it to you so that you can have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things so that our joy can be complete.

The message: God is light

⁵ This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” ⁶ If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. ⁷ But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. ⁸ If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. ¹⁰ If we claim, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

Greeting

1 From Paul, called by God’s will to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Sosthenes our brother.

² To God’s church that is in Corinth:

To those who have been made holy to God in Christ Jesus, who are called to be God’s people.

Together with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place—he’s their Lord and ours!

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving for the Corinthians

⁴ I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ That is, you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, ⁶ in the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you. ⁷ The result is that you aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸ He will also confirm your testimony about Christ until the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, and you were called by him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.