1 John 3
EasyEnglish Bible
We are God's children
3 Think about how much God the Father loves us. He calls us his children! God loves us so much that we really have become his children. The people who belong to this world do not understand who God is. Because of that, they do not understand who we are. 2 My friends, we are already children of God. We do not yet know clearly what we will become. But we do know this: when Christ returns to this world, we will become like him. We will be like him because we will see him as he really is. 3 Christ is completely good. So all of us who hope to see him then must keep ourselves clean from sin.
4 If a person continues to do wrong things, he is choosing not to obey God's rules. Sin is when we do not obey God's rules. 5 You know that Jesus came into the world so that he might take away our sins. He himself is completely clean from sin. 6 Anyone who lives together with Christ does not continue to do wrong things. If anyone continues to do wrong things, that person has not understood who Christ is. He does not know Christ.
7 My little children, do not let anyone deceive you about sin. It is people who live in a good way that God accepts as right. In the same way, Jesus did only what is good and right. 8 People who continue to do wrong things show that they belong to the Devil. The Devil has always been doing wrong things from the beginning. This is why the Son of God came to the world. He came to destroy everything that the Devil has done.
9 Everybody who is a child of God does not continue to do wrong things. This is because God has given them a new life. He has caused them to become his children. So they cannot continue to do wrong things. 10 In this way, we can see clearly who are God's children and who are the Devil's children. Anyone who does not live in a way that is good and right does not belong to God. People like that do not love other believers.
Christians must love one another
11 Yes, we must love one another. That is the message which you have heard from the beginning. 12 We should not be like Cain. He belonged to Satan and he even killed his brother, Abel. Why did he do that? Cain did bad things and he killed Abel because Abel did things that were right.
13 So, my Christian friends, do not be surprised when people who belong to this world hate you.
14 We know that we now have new life with God. Death no longer has power over us. We know this because we love our Christian friends. But anyone who does not love other believers is still under the power of death. 15 Anyone who hates other believers is like someone who murders other people. You know that a person like that does not have true life with God.
16 This is how we know what true love is: Jesus Christ gave his own life on the cross. He died on our behalf. So we too ought to give our lives for other believers. 17 When another believer has trouble, we need to be kind to him. Maybe you have all the things that you need to live. If you see another believer who needs things like that, you should help him. If you refuse to be kind to him, it shows that you do not belong to God. You do not love people in the way that God loves them.[a]
18 My little children, we should not show love for each other only by what we say. We should also show true love by the things that we do. 19 Then we will know that we truly belong to God. We will be obeying God's true message. As a result, our thoughts will not make us ashamed to come to God. 20 Even if our thoughts tell us that we have done something wrong, we still will not be afraid of God. We can trust God more than we trust our thoughts. He already knows everything about us.
21 My friends, if our thoughts do not tell us that we are guilty, we will not be afraid to come to God. 22 We can pray to God and we can ask him to help us. He will give us what we ask him for. That is because we obey his commands and we do the things that please him. 23 This is God's command to us: we must believe that Jesus Christ is his Son. And we must love each other, as Jesus commanded us. 24 Anyone who obeys God's commands lives together with God. God also lives in him. How do we know that God lives in us? It is because of his Holy Spirit that he has given to us.
Footnotes
- 3:17 Christians should love their Christian friends. We should even be ready to die for them.
1 John 3
King James Version
3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1 João 3
Portuguese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version
Somos filhos de Deus
3 Pensem no grande amor que o Pai nos tem mostrado, ao ponto de sermos chamados filhos de Deus. E, de fato, nós somos filhos de Deus! Por essa razão o mundo não nos conhece, pois o próprio mundo não conheceu a ele. 2 Queridos amigos, agora somos filhos de Deus, mas ainda não sabemos o que vamos ser. Nós sabemos que, quando Cristo voltar, seremos iguais a ele, pois o veremos como ele é. 3 E todo aquele que tem esta esperança em Cristo, purifica a si mesmo, assim como ele é puro.
4 Todo aquele que comete pecado, também desobedece à lei de Deus; pois pecar é desobedecer à lei. 5 Vocês sabem que Cristo veio para tirar os pecados e que nele não há pecado nenhum. 6 Todo aquele que permanece nele não vive pecando. Todo aquele que vive pecando não o viu nem o conheceu.
7 Filhinhos, não deixem que ninguém os engane. Aquele que pratica a justiça é justo, assim como Cristo é justo. 8 Aquele que vive pecando pertence ao diabo, porque o diabo vive pecando desde o princípio. A razão pela qual o Filho de Deus veio foi esta: destruir as obras do diabo.
9 Todo aquele que se tornou filho de Deus não vive cometendo pecado, pois a essência divina permanece nele. Ora, ele não pode viver pecando porque tornou-se filho de Deus. 10 A maneira pela qual vocês podem diferenciar os filhos de Deus e os filhos do diabo é esta: Todo aquele que não faz o que é justo e não ama a seu irmão não pertence a Deus.
Devemos amar uns aos outros
11 Esta é a mensagem que vocês ouviram desde o princípio: Que amemos uns aos outros. 12 Não sejam como Caim[a], que era do Maligno e matou a seu irmão. E por que ele o matou? Porque as suas obras eram más e as do seu irmão boas.
13 Irmãos, não se admirem se o mundo os odeia. 14 Nós sabemos que já passamos da morte para a vida, porque amamos os irmãos. Aquele que não ama permanece na morte. 15 Todo aquele que odeia seu irmão é assassino.[b] E vocês sabem que nenhum assassino tem a vida eterna em si mesmo. 16 A maneira pela qual conhecemos o que é o amor é esta: Cristo deu a sua vida por nós. E nós devemos dar a nossa vida pelos irmãos. 17 Ora, se alguém possui bens neste mundo e, mesmo vendo que seu irmão está passando necessidade, não faz nada para o ajudar, como pode dizer que o amor de Deus permanece nele?
18 Filhinhos, nosso amor deve ser verdadeiro e não deve consistir em palavras ou conversa, mas sim em boas ações. 19 Essa é a maneira pela qual podemos saber que pertencemos à verdade. Essa é também a maneira pela qual podemos nos sentir em paz com Deus, 20 mesmo que o nosso coração nos acuse de termos pecado. Deus é maior do que o nosso coração e conhece todas as coisas. 21 Queridos amigos, se o nosso coração não nos acusar de termos pecado, temos confiança diante de Deus. 22 Ele nos dá o que pedimos porque nós obedecemos aos seus mandamentos e também porque fazemos o que lhe agrada. 23 Este é o seu mandamento: Que creiamos no nome do seu Filho Jesus Cristo e que amemos uns aos outros, assim como Cristo nos ordenou. 24 Quem obedece aos mandamentos de Deus vive em Deus e Deus vive nele. É desta maneira que sabemos que ele vive em nós: pelo Espírito que ele nos deu.
Footnotes
- 3.12 Caim Filho de Adão e Eva, que assassinou a seu irmão Abel. Ver Gn 4.1-16.
- 3.15 Todo (…) assassino A pessoa que odeia seu irmão ou irmã em Cristo, a matado a qualquer um deles na sua mente. Jesus ensinou a seus seguidores sobre este pecado. Ver Mt 5.21-26.
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