1 John 3
New Century Version
We Are God’s Children
3 The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. The reason the people in the world do not know us is that they have not known him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. 3 Christ is pure, and all who have this hope in Christ keep themselves pure like Christ.
4 The person who sins breaks God’s law. Yes, sin is living against God’s law. 5 You know that Christ came to take away sins and that there is no sin in Christ. 6 So anyone who lives in Christ does not go on sinning. Anyone who goes on sinning has never really understood Christ and has never known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you the wrong way. Christ is righteous. So to be like Christ a person must do what is right. 8 The devil has been sinning since the beginning, so anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work.
9 Those who are God’s children do not continue sinning, because the new life from God remains in them. They are not able to go on sinning, because they have become children of God. 10 So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children, and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not God’s children.
We Must Love Each Other
11 This is the teaching you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other. 12 Do not be like Cain who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because the things Cain did were evil, and the things his brother did were good.
13 Brothers and sisters, do not be surprised when the people of the world hate you. 14 We know we have left death and have come into life because we love each other. Whoever does not love is still dead. 15 Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer,[a] and you know that no murderers have eternal life in them. 16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God’s love is not living in that person. 18 My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.
19 - 20 This is the way we know that we belong to the way of truth. When our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God. God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 My dear friends, if our hearts do not make us feel guilty, we can come without fear into God’s presence. 22 And God gives us what we ask for because we obey God’s commands and do what pleases him. 23 This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love each other, just as he commanded. 24 The people who obey God’s commands live in God, and God lives in them. We know that God lives in us because of the Spirit God gave us.
Footnotes
- 3:15 Everyone . . . murderer If one person hates a brother or sister, then in the heart that person has killed that brother or sister. Jesus taught about this sin to his followers (Matthew 5:21–26).
Ivanova 1 3
Biblija: suvremeni hrvatski prijevod
Božja djeca
3 Zamislite samo kakvu nam je ljubav iskazao Otac: da se zovemo Božjom djecom. A mi to zaista i jesmo! No ljudi ovoga svijeta ne razumiju da smo Božja djeca jer nisu upoznali Boga. 2 Dragi prijatelji, sada smo Božja djeca, a što ćemo biti u budućnosti, još nam nije pokazano. Ali znamo da ćemo, kada Krist dođe, biti poput njega, jer ćemo ga vidjeti onakvog kakav jest. 3 Svatko tko je položio nadu u njega, čuva sebe čistim baš kao što je Krist čist.
4 Tko god griješi, krši Božji zakon. Grijeh je kršenje Božjeg zakona. 5 Znate da se Krist pojavio da uzme grijehe i znate da u njemu nema grijeha. 6 Tko god živi u Kristu, ne nastavlja griješiti. Tko god nastavlja griješiti, njega nije niti vidio niti upoznao.
7 Draga dječice, ne dajte se zavesti! Tko čini što je pravedno, pravedan je kao i Krist. 8 Tko nastavlja griješiti, pripada đavlu, koji griješi od početka. Božji Sin pojavio se da uništi đavolska djela.
9 Oni koji su Božja djeca[a] više ne griješe jer je Božja narav[b] u njima. Oni ne mogu ostati u grijehu jer su postali Božja djeca. 10 Božja djeca i đavlova djeca prepoznaju se po ovome: oni koji ne čine što je pravedno i ne ljube svoju braću i sestre, ne pripadaju Bogu.
Voljeti jedni druge
11 Ovo je poruka koju ste čuli od početka: volite jedni druge! 12 Ne budimo poput Kaina! On je pripadao Zlom i ubio je svoga brata. A zašto ga je ubio? Zato što je činio zla djela, a njegov brat pravedna.
13 Braćo i sestre, nemojte se čuditi ako vas mrzi svijet. 14 Mi znamo da smo prešli iz smrti u život jer volimo svoju braću i sestre. Tko ne voli, ostaje duhovno mrtav. 15 Tko god mrzi svoga brata ili sestru, ubojica je, a znate da ni jedan ubojica nema u sebi vječni život. 16 Po ovome znamo što je prava ljubav: Isus je položio svoj život za nas. Tako i mi trebamo položiti svoj život za braću i sestre. 17 Za onoga tko posjeduje zemaljska dobra, a vidi svoga brata u oskudici i ne pomogne mu, ne može se reći da ima Božju ljubav u svom srcu. 18 Draga dječice, nemojte voljeti samo riječima i pričanjem nego pravom ljubavlju koja se iskazuje djelima.
19 Po tome ćemo znati da pripadamo istini i umirit ćemo savjest pred Bogom kada osjećamo krivnju. 20 Jer, Bog je veći od naše savjesti. On zna sve.
21 Dragi moji prijatelji, ako ne osjećamo krivnju u srcu[c], možemo bez straha doći pred Boga. 22 I od njega ćemo primiti štogod ga tražimo jer izvršavamo njegove zapovijedi i činimo što mu je ugodno. 23 A Božja je zapovijed da vjerujemo u njegovog Sina Isusa Krista i da volimo jedni druge, kako nam je naredio. 24 Tko vrši Božje zapovijedi, živi u Bogu i Bog živi u njemu. I po Duhu kojeg nam je dao znamo da Bog živi u nama.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Biblija: suvremeni hrvatski prijevod (SHP) © 2019 Bible League International