1 John 2:12-4:6

English Standard Version

Do Not Love the World

^15 (G)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(H)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—^(I)the desires of the flesh and ^(J)the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And ^(K)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Warning Concerning Antichrists

¹⁸ Children, ^(L)it is the last hour, and as you have heard that ^(M)antichrist is coming, so now ^(N)many antichrists have come. ^(O)Therefore we know that it is the last hour. ^19 (P)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(Q)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, ^(R)that it might become plain that they all are not of us. ²⁰ But you have been ^(S)anointed by ^(T)the Holy One, and ^(U)you all have knowledge.^{[b] 21} I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. ²² Who is the liar but ^(V)he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is ^(W)the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. ^23 (X)No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ Let ^(Y)what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then ^(Z)you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that he made to us^[c]—^(AA)eternal life.

²⁶ I write these things to you about ^(AB)those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷ But ^(AC)the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and ^(AD)you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and ^(AE)is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Children of God

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in him, so that ^(AF)when he appears ^(AG)we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his ^(AH)coming. ²⁹ If you know that ^(AI)he is righteous, you may be sure that ^(AJ)everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

3 See ^(AK)what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called ^(AL)children of God; and so we are. The reason why ^(AM)the world does not know us is that ^(AN)it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are ^(AO)God's children ^(AP)now, and what we will be ^(AQ)has not yet appeared; but we know that ^(AR)when he appears^{[d] (AS)}we shall be like him, because ^(AT)we shall see him as he is. ³ And everyone who ^(AU)thus hopes in him ^(AV)purifies himself as he is pure.

⁴ Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; ^(AW)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that ^(AX)he appeared in order to ^(AY)take away sins, and ^(AZ)in him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^(BA)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷ Little children, ^(BB)let no one deceive you. ^(BC)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ^8 (BD)Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was ^(BE)to destroy the works of the devil. ^9 (BF)No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's^[e] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, ^(BG)nor is the one who ^(BH)does not love his brother.

Love One Another

¹¹ For ^(BI)this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, ^(BJ)that we should love one another. ¹² We should not be like ^(BK)Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? ^(BL)Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers,^{[f] (BM)}that the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that ^(BN)we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. ^15 (BO)Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(BP)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

¹⁶ By this we know love, that ^(BQ)he laid down his life for us, and ^(BR)we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But ^(BS)if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet ^(BT)closes his heart against him, ^(BU)how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not ^(BV)love in word or talk but in deed and ^(BW)in truth.

¹⁹ By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; ²⁰ for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. ²¹ Beloved, ^(BX)if our heart does not condemn us, ^(BY)we have confidence before God; ²² and ^(BZ)whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and ^(CA)do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his commandment, ^(CB)that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and ^(CC)love one another, ^(CD)just as he has commanded us. ^24 (CE)Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,^[g] and God^[h] in him. And ^(CF)by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, ^(CG)do not believe every spirit, but ^(CH)test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for ^(CI)many ^(CJ)false prophets ^(CK)have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(CL)every spirit that confesses that ^(CM)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit ^(CN)that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and ^(CO)now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for ^(CP)he who is in you is greater than ^(CQ)he who is in the world. ^5 (CR)They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and ^(CS)the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. ^(CT)Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^(CU)the Spirit of truth and ^(CV)the spirit of error.