1 John 2:18-3:10

New American Standard Bible

¹⁸ Children, ^(A)it is the last hour; and just as you heard that ^(B)antichrist is coming, ^(C)even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. ^19 (D)They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, ^(E)so that ^[a]it would be evident that they all are not of us. ^20 [b]But you have an ^(F)anointing from ^(G)the Holy One, and ^(H)you all know. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but ^(I)because you do know it, and ^[c]because no lie is ^(J)of the truth. ²² Who is the liar except ^(K)the one who denies that Jesus is the ^[d]Christ? This is ^(L)the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. ^23 (M)Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ As for you, see that what you heard ^(N)from the beginning remains in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also ^(O)will remain in the Son and in the Father.

The Promise Is Eternal Life

^25 (P)This is the promise which He Himself ^[e]made to us: eternal life.

²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to ^(Q)deceive you. ²⁷ And as for you, the ^(R)anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing ^(S)teaches you about all things, and is ^(T)true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, ^[f]you remain in Him.

²⁸ Now, ^(U)little children, remain in Him, so that when He ^(V)appears, we may have ^(W)confidence and ^(X)not ^[g]draw back from Him in shame ^[h]at His ^(Y)coming. ²⁹ If you know that ^(Z)He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also ^(AA)has been born of Him.

Children of God Love One Another

3 See ^[i](AB)how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called ^(AC)children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because ^(AD)it did not know Him. ^2 (AE)Beloved, now we are ^(AF)children of God, and ^(AG)it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He ^(AH)appears, we will be ^(AI)like Him, because we will ^(AJ)see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this ^(AK)hope set on Him ^(AL)purifies himself, just as He is pure.

⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and ^(AM)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that He ^(AN)appeared in order to ^(AO)take away sins; and ^(AP)in Him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who remains in Him ^(AQ)sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or ^[j](AR)knows Him. ^7 (AS)Little children, make sure no one ^(AT)deceives you; ^(AU)the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; ⁸ the one who practices sin is ^(AV)of the devil; for the devil ^[k]has been sinning from the beginning. ^(AW)The Son of God ^(AX)appeared for this purpose, ^(AY)to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one who has been ^(AZ)born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this the ^(BA)children of God and the ^(BB)children of the devil are obvious: ^[l]anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who ^(BC)does not love his ^(BD)brother and sister.