²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after^(A) orphans and widows^(B) in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.^(C)

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a](A) made his light shine in our hearts^(B) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.^(C)

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay^(D) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God^(E) and not from us.

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.^(A) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.^{(B) 17} If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,^(C) how can the love of God be in that person?^{(D) 18} Dear children,^(E) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.^(F)