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See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he[a] is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.(A) And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.(B) You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.(C) No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children,[b] let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil.(D) Those who have been born of God do not sin because God’s seed abides in them;[c] they cannot sin because they have been born of God.(E) 10 The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love a brother or sister.(F)

Love One Another

11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.(G) 12 We must not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you.(H) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love abides in death.(I) 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.(J) 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.(K) 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?(L)

18 Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.(M) 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him(N) 20 whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.(O)

23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.(P) 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.(Q)

Footnotes

  1. 3.2 Or it
  2. 3.7 Other ancient authorities read Children
  3. 3.9 Or because the children of God abide in him

ἴδετε ποταπὴν ἀγάπην δέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τέκνα θεοῦ κληθῶμεν, [a]καὶ ἐσμέν. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κόσμος οὐ γινώσκει [b]ἡμᾶς ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν. ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. [c]οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν. καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἁγνίζει ἑαυτὸν καθὼς ἐκεῖνος ἁγνός ἐστιν.

Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία. καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη ἵνα τὰς [d]ἁμαρτίας ἄρῃ, καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν. πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ ἔγνωκεν αὐτόν. τεκνία, μηδεὶς πλανάτω ὑμᾶς· ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην δίκαιός ἐστιν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος δίκαιός ἐστιν· ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν, ὅτι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. εἰς τοῦτο ἐφανερώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου. πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ, ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται. 10 ἐν τούτῳ φανερά ἐστιν τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ διαβόλου· πᾶς ὁ μὴ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ.

11 Ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἠκούσατε ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους· 12 οὐ καθὼς Κάϊν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν; ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ δίκαια. 13 [e]μὴ θαυμάζετε, [f]ἀδελφοί, εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος. 14 ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν, ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς· ὁ μὴ [g]ἀγαπῶν μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ. 15 πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν, καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν [h]αὐτῷ μένουσαν. 16 ἐν τούτῳ ἐγνώκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν· καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὰς ψυχὰς [i]θεῖναι. 17 ὃς δ’ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ;

18 [j]Τεκνία, μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ ἀλλὰ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. 19 [k]ἐν τούτῳ [l]γνωσόμεθα ὅτι ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσμέν, καὶ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πείσομεν [m]τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν 20 ὅτι ἐὰν καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία, ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ θεὸς τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν καὶ γινώσκει πάντα. 21 ἀγαπητοί, ἐὰν ἡ καρδία [n]μὴ καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν, παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 22 καὶ ὃ [o]ἐὰν αἰτῶμεν λαμβάνομεν [p]ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηροῦμεν καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦμεν. 23 καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα [q]πιστεύσωμεν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, καθὼς ἔδωκεν ἐντολὴν [r]ἡμῖν. 24 καὶ ὁ τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι μένει ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος οὗ ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν.

Footnotes

  1. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:1 καὶ ἐσμέν WH Treg NIV ] – RP
  2. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:1 ἡμᾶς WH Treg NIV ] ὑμᾶς RP
  3. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:2 οἴδαμεν WH Treg NIV ] + δὲ RP
  4. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:5 ἁμαρτίας WH Treg NIV ] + ἡμῶν RP
  5. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:13 μὴ WH Treg RP] καὶ μὴ NIV
  6. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:13 ἀδελφοί WH Treg NIV ] + μου RP
  7. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:14 ἀγαπῶν WH Treg NIV ] + τὸν ἀδελφόν RP
  8. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:15 αὐτῷ WH Treg NIV ] ἑαυτῷ RP
  9. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:16 θεῖναι WH Treg NIV ] τιθέναι RP
  10. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:18 Τεκνία WH Treg NIV ] + μου RP
  11. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:19 ἐν WH ] καὶ ἐν Treg NIV RP
  12. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:19 γνωσόμεθα WH Treg NIV ] γινώσκομεν RP
  13. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:19 τὴν καρδίαν WH NIV ] τὰς καρδίας Treg RP
  14. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:21 μὴ καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν Treg ] μὴ καταγινώσκῃ WH; ἡμῶν μὴ καταγινώσκῃ NIV; ἡμῶν μὴ καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν RP
  15. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:22 ἐὰν Treg NIV RP] ἂν WH
  16. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:22 ἀπ᾽ WH Treg NIV ] παρ᾽ RP
  17. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:23 πιστεύσωμεν WH NIV RP ] πιστεύωμεν Treg
  18. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 3:23 ἡμῖν WH Treg NIV ] – RP

See what great love(A) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(B) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(C) Dear friends,(D) now we are children of God,(E) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a](F) we shall be like him,(G) for we shall see him as he is.(H) All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(I) just as he is pure.(J)

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(K) But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(L) And in him is no sin.(M) No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(N) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(O) or known him.(P)

Dear children,(Q) do not let anyone lead you astray.(R) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(S) The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(T) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(U) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(V) No one who is born of God(W) will continue to sin,(X) because God’s seed(Y) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(Z) are and who the children of the devil(AA) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(AB) their brother and sister.(AC)

More on Love and Hatred

11 For this is the message you heard(AD) from the beginning:(AE) We should love one another.(AF) 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(AG) and murdered his brother.(AH) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(AI) 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[b] if the world hates you.(AJ) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life,(AK) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.(AL) 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister(AM) is a murderer,(AN) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.(AO)

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.(AP) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.(AQ) 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,(AR) how can the love of God be in that person?(AS) 18 Dear children,(AT) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(AU)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends,(AV) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(AW) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(AX) because we keep his commands(AY) and do what pleases him.(AZ) 23 And this is his command: to believe(BA) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(BB) and to love one another as he commanded us.(BC) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(BD) lives in him,(BE) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(BF)

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
  2. 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.