⁹ If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer,^[a] that person is still living in darkness.

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,^[a] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

¹¹ But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

¹³ So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] if the world hates you.

¹⁴ If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers,^[b] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister^[c] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister^[d] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.