⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, ^(A)inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, ^(A)inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ^[a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

¹² not as ^(A)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 ^(B)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 (C)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(D)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

^16 (E)By this we know love, ^(F)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But ^(G)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, ^(H)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we ^[b]know ^(I)that we are of the truth, and shall ^[c]assure our hearts before Him. ^20 (J)For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Obedience by Faith

5 Whoever believes that ^(A)Jesus is the Christ is ^(B)born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and ^(C)keep His commandments. ^3 (D)For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And ^(E)His commandments are not burdensome.

The World’s Hatred

^18 (A)“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ^19 (B)If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet ^(C)because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.