The Word of Life

1 ^(A)That which was ^(B)from the beginning, ^(C)which we have heard, ^(D)which we have seen with our eyes, ^(E)which we looked upon and ^(F)have touched with our hands, concerning the word^[a] of life— ^2 (G)the life ^(H)was made manifest, and we have seen it, and ^(I)testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, ^(J)which was with the Father and ^(K)was made manifest to us— ^3 (L)that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed ^(M)our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so ^(N)that our^[b] joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

^5 (O)This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that ^(P)God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ^6 (Q)If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and ^(R)do not practice the truth. ⁷ But ^(S)if we walk in the light, ^(T)as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(U)the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ^8 (V)If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and ^(W)the truth is not in us. ^9 (X)If we confess our sins, he is ^(Y)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and ^(Z)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, ^(AA)we make him a liar, and ^(AB)his word is not in us.

6 Therefore ^(A)let us leave ^(B)the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance ^(C)from dead works and of faith toward God, ² and of ^(D)instruction about washings,^{[a] (E)}the laying on of hands, ^(F)the resurrection of the dead, and ^(G)eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do ^(H)if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those ^(I)who have once been enlightened, who have tasted ^(J)the heavenly gift, and ^(K)have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and ^(L)have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and ^(M)then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since ^(N)they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. ⁷ For ^(O)land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. ⁸ But ^(P)if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, ^(Q)and its end is to be burned.

⁹ Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. ¹⁰ For ^(R)God is not unjust so as to overlook ^(S)your work and the love that you have shown for his name in ^(T)serving the saints, as you still do. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance ^(U)of hope until the end, ¹² so that you may not be sluggish, but ^(V)imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The Certainty of God's Promise

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, ^(W)he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, ^(X)“Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” ¹⁵ And thus Abraham,^{[b] (Y)}having patiently waited, obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes ^(Z)an oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to ^(AA)the heirs of the promise ^(AB)the unchangeable character of his purpose, ^(AC)he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which ^(AD)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope ^(AE)set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into ^(AF)the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus has gone ^(AG)as a forerunner on our behalf, ^(AH)having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.