The New Commandment

⁷ Beloved, I am writing you ^(A)no new commandment, but ^(B)an old commandment ^(C)that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸ At the same time, it is ^(D)a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because^{[a] (E)}the darkness is passing away and ^(F)the true light is already shining. ⁹ Whoever says he is in the light and ^(G)hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him^[b] there is no ^(H)cause for stumbling. ¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and ^(I)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Love One Another

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

¹⁶ By this we know love, that ^(I)he laid down his life for us, and ^(J)we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But ^(K)if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet ^(L)closes his heart against him, ^(M)how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not ^(N)love in word or talk but in deed and ^(O)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, ^(P)if our heart does not condemn us, ^(Q)we have confidence before God; ²² and ^(R)whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and ^(S)do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his commandment, ^(T)that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and ^(U)love one another, ^(V)just as he has commanded us. ^24 (W)Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,^[b] and God^[c] in him. And ^(X)by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

God Is Love

⁷ Beloved, ^(A)let us love one another, for love is from God, and ^(B)whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ^8 (C)Anyone who does not love does not know God, because ^(D)God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that ^(E)God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(F)not that we have loved God ^(G)but that he loved us and sent his Son to be ^(H)the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ^12 (I)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and ^(J)his love is perfected in us.

^19 (A)We love because he first loved us. ^20 (B)If anyone says, “I love God,” and ^(C)hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot^[a] love God ^(D)whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(E)this commandment we have from him: ^(F)whoever loves God must also love his brother.