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1 John 1-3
International Children’s Bible

God Forgives Our Sins

1 We write you now about something that has always existed.
We have heard.
We have seen with our own eyes.
We have watched,
and we have touched with our hands.

We write to you about the Word[a] that gives life. 2 He who gives life was shown to us. We saw him, and we can give proof about it. And now we tell you that he has life that continues forever. The one who gives this life was with God the Father. God showed him to us. 3 Now we tell you what we have seen and heard because we want you to have fellowship with us. The fellowship we share together is with God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to you so that we may be full of joy.[b]

5 Here is the message we have heard from God and now tell to you: God is light,[c] and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 So if we say that we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, then we are liars. We do not follow the truth. 7 God is in the light. We should live in the light, too. If we live in the light, we share fellowship with each other. And when we live in the light, the blood of the death of Jesus, God’s Son, is making us clean from every sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. We can trust God. He does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrongs we have done. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, then we make God a liar. We do not accept God’s true teaching.

Jesus Is Our Helper

2 My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He is the Righteous One. He defends us before God the Father. 2 Jesus died in our place to take away our sins. And Jesus is the way that all people can have their sins taken away, too.

3 If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we truly know God. 4 If someone says, “I know God!” but does not obey God’s commands, then he is a liar. The truth is not in him. 5 But if someone obeys God’s teaching, then God’s love has truly arrived at its goal in him. This is how we know that we are following God: 6 Whoever says that God lives in him must live as Jesus lived.

The Command to Love Others

7 My dear friends, I am not writing a new command to you. It is the same command you have had since the beginning. It is the teaching you have already heard. 8 But I am writing a new command to you. This command is true; you can see its truth in Jesus and in yourselves. The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

9 Someone says, “I am in the light.”[d] But if he hates his brother, he is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him that will cause him to do wrong. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in darkness. He lives in darkness and does not know where he is going. The darkness has made him blind.

12 I write to you, dear children,
    because your sins are forgiven through Christ.
13 I write to you, fathers,
    because you know the One who existed from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you have defeated the Evil One.
14 I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know the One who existed from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong;
    the word of God lives in you,
    and you have defeated the Evil One.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 These are the evil things in the world: wanting things to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, being too proud of the things we have. But none of those things comes from the Father. All of them come from the world. 17 The world is passing away. And everything that people want in the world is passing away. But the person who does what God wants lives forever.

Reject the Enemies of Christ

18 My dear children, the end is near! You have heard that the Enemy of Christ is coming. And now many enemies of Christ are already here. So we know that the end is near. 19 Those enemies of Christ were in our group. But they left us. They did not really belong with us. If they were really part of our group, then they would have stayed with us. But they left. This shows that none of them really belonged with us.

20 You have the gift[e] that the Holy One gave you. So you all know the truth.[f] 21 Why do I write to you? Do I write because you do not know the truth? No, I write this letter because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth.

22 So who is the liar? It is the person who says Jesus is not the Christ. A person who says Jesus is not the Christ is the enemy of Christ. He does not believe in the Father or in his Son. 23 If anyone does not believe in the Son, he does not have the Father. But whoever accepts the Son has the Father, too.

24 Be sure that you continue to follow the teaching that you heard from the beginning. If you continue in that teaching, you will stay in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what the Son promised to us—life forever.

26 I am writing this letter about those people who are trying to lead you the wrong way. 27 Christ gave you a special gift. You still have this gift in you. So you do not need any other teacher. The gift he gave you teaches you about everything. This gift is true, not false. So continue to live in Christ, as his gift taught you.

28 Yes, my dear children, live in him. If we do this, we can be without fear on the day when Christ comes back. We will not need to hide and be ashamed when he comes. 29 You know that Christ is righteous. So you know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

We Are God’s Children

3 The Father has loved us so much! He loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world do not understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God. We have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is. 3 Christ is pure. And every person who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure like Christ.

4 When a person sins, he breaks God’s law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God’s law. 5 You know that Christ came to take away sins. There is no sin in Christ. 6 So the person who lives in Christ does not go on sinning. If he goes on sinning, he has never really understood Christ and has never known him.

7 Dear children, do not let any person lead you the wrong way. Christ is righteous. To be like Christ, a person must do what is right. 8 The devil has been sinning since the beginning. Anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work.

9 When God makes someone his child, that person does not go on sinning. The new life God gave that person stays in him. So he is not able to go on sinning, because he has become a child of God. 10 So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are. Those who do not do what is right are not children of God. And anyone who does not love his brother is not a child of God.

We Must Love Each Other

11 This is the teaching you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other. 12 Do not be like Cain who belonged to the Evil One. Cain killed his brother. He killed his brother because the things Cain did were evil, and the things his brother did were good.

13 Brothers, do not be surprised when the people of this world hate you. 14 We know that we have left death and have come into life. We know this because we love our brothers in Christ. Whoever does not love is still in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.[g] And you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers. 17 Suppose a believer is rich enough to have all that he needs. He sees his brother in Christ who is poor and does not have what he needs. What if the believer does not help the poor brother? Then the believer does not have God’s love in his heart. 18 My children, our love should not be only words and talk. Our love must be true love. And we should show that love by what we do.

19-20 This is the way we know that we belong to the way of truth. When our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God. God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 My dear friends, if we do not feel that we are doing wrong, we can be without fear when we come to God. 22 And God gives us the things we ask for. We receive these things because we obey God’s commands, and we do what pleases him. 23 This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love each other, just as he commanded. 24 The person who obeys God’s commands lives in God. And God lives in him. How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit whom God gave us.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Word The Greek word is “logos,” meaning any kind of communication. It could be translated “message.” Here, it means Christ. Christ was the way God told people about himself.
  2. 1:4 so . . . joy Some Greek copies read “so that you may be full of joy.”
  3. 1:5 light This word is used to show what God is like. It means goodness or truth.
  4. 2:9 light This word is used to show what God is like. It means goodness or truth.
  5. 2:20 gift This might mean the Holy Spirit. Or it might mean teaching or truth as in verse 24.
  6. 2:20 So . . . truth. Some Greek copies read “So you know all things.”
  7. 3:15 Everyone . . . murderer. If a person hates his brother in Christ, then in his mind he has killed his brother. Jesus taught about this sin to his followers (Matthew 5:21–26).
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1 John 1-3
New International Version

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning,(A) which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,(B) which we have looked at and our hands have touched(C)—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared;(D) we have seen it and testify to it,(E) and we proclaim to you the eternal life,(F) which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,(G) so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.(H) 4 We write this(I) to make our[a] joy complete.(J)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

5 This is the message we have heard(K) from him and declare to you: God is light;(L) in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,(M) we lie and do not live out the truth.(N) 7 But if we walk in the light,(O) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.(P)

8 If we claim to be without sin,(Q) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.(R) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins(S) and purify us from all unrighteousness.(T) 10 If we claim we have not sinned,(U) we make him out to be a liar(V) and his word is not in us.(W)

2 My dear children,(X) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate(Y) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,(Z) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.(AA)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

3 We know(AB) that we have come to know him(AC) if we keep his commands.(AD) 4 Whoever says, “I know him,”(AE) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.(AF) 5 But if anyone obeys his word,(AG) love for God[c] is truly made complete in them.(AH) This is how we know(AI) we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.(AJ)

7 Dear friends,(AK) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.(AL) This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command;(AM) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing(AN) and the true light(AO) is already shining.(AP)

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[d](AQ) is still in the darkness.(AR) 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[e] lives in the light,(AS) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.(AT) 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister(AU) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.(AV) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.(AW)

Reasons for Writing

12 I am writing to you, dear children,(AX)
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.(AY)
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.(AZ)
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome(BA) the evil one.(BB)

14 I write to you, dear children,(BC)
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.(BD)
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,(BE)
    and the word of God(BF) lives in you,(BG)
    and you have overcome the evil one.(BH)

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world.(BI) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[f] is not in them.(BJ) 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,(BK) the lust of the eyes,(BL) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away,(BM) but whoever does the will of God(BN) lives forever.

Warnings Against Denying the Son

18 Dear children, this is the last hour;(BO) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,(BP) even now many antichrists have come.(BQ) This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us,(BR) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.(BS)

20 But you have an anointing(BT) from the Holy One,(BU) and all of you know the truth.[g](BV) 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it(BW) and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.(BX) 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.(BY)

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning(BZ) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.(CA) 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.(CB)

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.(CC) 27 As for you, the anointing(CD) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things(CE) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.(CF)

God’s Children and Sin

28 And now, dear children,(CG) continue in him, so that when he appears(CH) we may be confident(CI) and unashamed before him at his coming.(CJ)

29 If you know that he is righteous,(CK) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.(CL)

3 See what great love(CM) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(CN) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(CO) 2 Dear friends,(CP) now we are children of God,(CQ) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[h](CR) we shall be like him,(CS) for we shall see him as he is.(CT) 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(CU) just as he is pure.(CV)

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(CW) 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(CX) And in him is no sin.(CY) 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(CZ) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(DA) or known him.(DB)

7 Dear children,(DC) do not let anyone lead you astray.(DD) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(DE) 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(DF) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(DG) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(DH) 9 No one who is born of God(DI) will continue to sin,(DJ) because God’s seed(DK) 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(DL) are and who the children of the devil(DM) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(DN) their brother and sister.(DO)

More on Love and Hatred

11 For this is the message you heard(DP) from the beginning:(DQ) We should love one another.(DR) 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(DS) and murdered his brother.(DT) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(DU) 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[i] if the world hates you.(DV) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life,(DW) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.(DX) 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister(DY) is a murderer,(DZ) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.(EA)

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

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,(EH) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(EI) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(EJ) because we keep his commands(EK) and do what pleases him.(EL) 23 And this is his command: to believe(EM) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(EN) and to love one another as he commanded us.(EO) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(EP) lives in him,(EQ) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(ER)

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
  2. 1 John 1:7 Or every
  3. 1 John 2:5 Or word, God’s love
  4. 1 John 2:9 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15, 17; 4:20; 5:16.
  5. 1 John 2:10 The Greek word for brother and sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in 3:10; 4:20, 21.
  6. 1 John 2:15 Or world, the Father’s love
  7. 1 John 2:20 Some manuscripts and you know all things
  8. 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
  9. 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.
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