¹² And may the Lord make you increase and ^(A)abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

Knowing God Through Love^(A)

^7 (B)Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who ^(C)loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ^9 (D)In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten ^(E)Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(F)not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son ^(G)to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, ^(H)if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Seeing God Through Love

^12 (I)No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ^13 (J)By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And ^(K)we have seen and testify that ^(L)the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ^15 (M)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and ^(N)he who abides in love abides in God, and God ^(O)in him.

³⁹ And the second is like it: ^(A)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, ^(A)that we should love one another, ¹² not as ^(B)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.

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

The Outworking of Love

^16 (F)By this we know love, ^(G)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But ^(H)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?

¹⁸ My little children, ^(I)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we ^[b]know ^(J)that we are of the truth, and shall ^[c]assure our hearts before Him.

^15 (A)See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always ^(B)pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Love Your Neighbor^(A)

⁸ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for ^(B)he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,

A Brotherly and Orderly Life

⁹ But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for ^(A)you yourselves are taught by God ^(B)to love one another; ¹⁰ and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, ^(C)that you increase more and more;