Fellowship with God

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light,(A) and there is absolutely no darkness in him.(B) If we say, “We have fellowship(C) with him,” and yet we walk in darkness,(D) we are lying and are not practicing the truth.(E) If we walk in the light(F) as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus(G) his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,”(H) we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive(I) us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word(J) is not in us.(K)

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Truth and Deception

I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth,(A) in keeping with a command we have received from the Father. So now I ask you, dear lady—not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.(B) This is love:(C) that we walk according to his commands.(D) This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.[a]

Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.(E) This is the deceiver and the antichrist.(F) Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we[b] have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.(G) Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching(H) but goes beyond it does not have God.(I) The one who remains(J) in that teaching, this one has both the Father(K) and the Son.(L) 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive(M) him into your home, and do not greet him; 11 for the one who greets him shares(N) in his evil works.(O)

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Footnotes

  1. 6 Or in it
  2. 8 Other mss read you

Greeting

The elder:(A)

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.(B)

Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health,(C) just as your whole life is going well.[a] For I was very glad when fellow believers came and testified(D) to your fidelity to the truth—how you are walking in truth.(E) I have no greater joy(F) than this: to hear that my children(G) are walking in truth.

Gaius Commended

Dear friend, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brothers and sisters, especially when they are strangers. They have testified to your love before the church.(H) You will do well to send them on their journey(I) in a manner worthy of God,(J) since they set out for the sake of the Name,(K) accepting nothing from pagans.[b](L) Therefore, we ought to support such people so that we can be coworkers with the truth.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Or as your soul prospers
  2. 7 Or Gentiles

10 Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart[a] when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do.[b] 11 For there will never cease to be poor people in the land;(A) that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.’

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Footnotes

  1. 15:10 Lit and let not your heart be grudging
  2. 15:10 Lit you put your hand to

Psalm 15

A Description of the Godly

A psalm of David.

Lord, who can dwell in your tent?(A)
Who can live on your holy mountain?(B)

The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart(C)
who does not slander with his tongue,(D)
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,(E)
who despises the one rejected by the Lord[a]
but honors those who fear the Lord,(F)
who keeps his word whatever the cost,(G)
who does not lend his silver at interest(H)
or take a bribe against the innocent(I)
the one who does these things will never be shaken.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. 15:4 Lit in his eyes the rejected is despised

The Primary Commands

34 When(A) the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him:(B) 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.[a](C) 38 This is the greatest and most important[b] command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.[c](D) 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend[d] on these two commands.”(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 22:37 Dt 6:5
  2. 22:38 Lit and first
  3. 22:39 Lv 19:18
  4. 22:40 Or hang

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