^57 127 He answered and said, “This is the meaning of the contest which every man who is born on earth shall wage, ^58 128 that if he is defeated he shall suffer what you have said, but if he is victorious he shall receive what I have said.^{[a] 59 129} For this is the way of which Moses, while he was alive, spoke to the people, saying, ‘Choose for yourself life, that you may live!’ ^60 130 But they did not believe him, or the prophets after him, or even myself who have spoken to them. ^61 131 Therefore there shall not be^[b] grief at their destruction, so much as joy over those to whom salvation is assured.”

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. ⁸ He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one born of God commits sin; for God’s^[a] nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is^[b] born of God. ¹⁰ By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

³⁷ I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

Jesus and Abraham

³⁹ They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You do what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

¹⁷ Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood^[a] on the sand of the sea.