1 John 2:15-3:23

New King James Version

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵^(A)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(B)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, ^(C)the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷And ^(D)the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

¹⁸^(E)Little children, ^(F)it is the last hour; and as you have heard that ^(G)the^[a] Antichrist is coming, ^(H)even now many antichrists have come, by which we know ^(I)that it is the last hour. ¹⁹^(J)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(K)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out ^(L)that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

²⁰But ^(M)you have an anointing ^(N)from the Holy One, and ^(O)you^[b] know all things. ²¹I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

²²^(P)Who is a liar but he who denies that ^(Q)Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ²³^(R)Whoever denies the Son does not have the ^(S)Father either; ^(T)he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

²⁴Therefore let that abide in you ^(U)which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, ^(V)you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵^(W)And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

²⁶These things I have written to you concerning those who try to ^[c]deceive you. ²⁷But the ^(X)anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and ^(Y)you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing ^(Z)teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you ^[d]will abide in Him.

The Children of God

²⁸And now, little children, abide in Him, that ^[e]when He appears, we may have ^(AA)confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ²⁹^(AB)If you know that He is righteous, you know that ^(AC)everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

The Command to Love

3 Behold ^(AD)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that ^(AE)we should be called children of ^[f]God! Therefore the world does not know ^[g]us, ^(AF)because it did not know Him. ²Beloved, ^(AG)now we are children of God; and ^(AH)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, ^(AI)we shall be like Him, for ^(AJ)we shall see Him as He is. ³^(AK)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Sin and the Child of God

⁴Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and ^(AL)sin is lawlessness. ⁵And you know ^(AM)that He was manifested ^(AN)to take away our sins, and ^(AO)in Him there is no sin. ⁶Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. ⁸^(AP)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, ^(AQ)that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹Whoever has been ^(AR)born of God does not sin, for ^(AS)His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love^(AT)

¹⁰In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ¹¹For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, ^(AU)that we should love one another, ¹²not as ^(AV)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³Do not marvel, my brethren, if ^(AW)the world hates you. ¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ^[h]his brother abides in death. ¹⁵^(AX)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(AY)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

¹⁶^(AZ)By this we know love, ^(BA)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷But ^(BB)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸My little children, ^(BC)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹And by this we ^[i]know ^(BD)that we are of the truth, and shall ^[j]assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰^(BE)For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, ^(BF)we have confidence toward God. ²²And ^(BG)whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments ^(BH)and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ ^(BI)and love one another, as He gave ^[k]us commandment.