1 John 2:13-3:22

English Standard Version

Do Not Love the World

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

Warning Concerning Antichrists

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

²⁶ I write these things to you about ^(AA)those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷ But ^(AB)the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and ^(AC)you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and ^(AD)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 ^(AE)when he appears ^(AF)we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his ^(AG)coming. ²⁹ If you know that ^(AH)he is righteous, you may be sure that ^(AI)everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

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

⁴ Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; ^(AV)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that ^(AW)he appeared in order to ^(AX)take away sins, and ^(AY)in him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^(AZ)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷ Little children, ^(BA)let no one deceive you. ^(BB)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ^8 (BC)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 ^(BD)to destroy the works of the devil. ^9 (BE)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, ^(BF)nor is the one who ^(BG)does not love his brother.

Love One Another

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

¹⁶ By this we know love, that ^(BP)he laid down his life for us, and ^(BQ)we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But ^(BR)if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet ^(BS)closes his heart against him, ^(BT)how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not ^(BU)love in word or talk but in deed and ^(BV)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, ^(BW)if our heart does not condemn us, ^(BX)we have confidence before God; ²² and ^(BY)whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and ^(BZ)do what pleases him.