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1 John 3
New Living Translation

3 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers[b] does not belong to God.

Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,[c] if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers,[d] 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[e] 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[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

Footnotes

  1. 3:9 Greek because his seed.
  2. 3:10 Greek does not love his brother.
  3. 3:13 Greek brothers.
  4. 3:14 Greek the brothers; similarly in 3:16.
  5. 3:15 Greek hates his brother.
  6. 3:17 Greek sees his brother.
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1 John 3
International Standard Version

We are God’s Children

3 See what kind of love the Father has given us: We are called God’s children—and that is what we are![a] For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not recognize him, either.

2 Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah[b] is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is. 3 And everyone who has this hope based on him keeps himself pure, just as the Messiah[c] is pure. 4 Everyone who keeps living in sin also practices disobedience. In fact, sin is disobedience. 5 You know that the Messiah[d] was revealed to take away sins,[e] and there is not any sin in him. 6 No one who remains in union with him keeps on sinning. The one who keeps on sinning hasn’t seen him or known him.

7 Little children, don’t let anyone deceive you. The person who practices righteousness is righteous, just as the Messiah[f] is righteous. 8 The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the Devil has been doing. 9 No one who has been born from God practices sin, because God’s[g] seed abides in him. Indeed, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born from God. 10 This is how God’s children and the Devil’s children are distinguished.[h] No person who fails to practice righteousness and to love his brother is from God.

Love One Another

11 This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain,[i] who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because what he was doing was evil and his brother’s actions[j] were righteous. 13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love[k] remains spiritually[l] dead. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah[m] gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. 17 Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him? 18 Little children, we must stop expressing love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love[n] also in action[o] and in truth. 19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves[p] strong in his presence.

20 If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God. 22 Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus the Messiah,[q] and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The person who keeps his commandments abides in God,[r] and God abides in him.[s] This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:1 Other mss. lack And that is what we are!
  2. 1 John 3:2 Lit. he
  3. 1 John 3:3 Lit. as he
  4. 1 John 3:5 Lit. that he
  5. 1 John 3:5 Other mss. read our sins
  6. 1 John 3:7 Lir. as he
  7. 1 John 3:9 Lit. his
  8. 1 John 3:10 Lit. are revealed
  9. 1 John 3:12 Lit. Not like Cain
  10. 1 John 3:12 The Gk. lacks actions
  11. 1 John 3:14 Other mss. read doesn’t love his brother
  12. 1 John 3:14 The Gk. lacks spiritually
  13. 1 John 3:16 Lit. he
  14. 1 John 3:18 The Gk. lacks love
  15. 1 John 3:18 Or work
  16. 1 John 3:19 Lit. keep our hearts
  17. 1 John 3:23 Or Christ
  18. 1 John 3:24 Lit. in him
  19. 1 John 3:24 Lit. and he in him
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1 John 2
1 John 4
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New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


International Standard Version (ISV)

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