Book of Common Prayer

3 See how much the Father has loved us! We are called God's children. It is true, we are God's children. People in this world did not know him and so they do not know us.

² My dear brothers, we are God's children now. No one knows yet what we shall be like. But we know that when Jesus comes, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is.

³ Everyone who has this hope about Christ makes his life holy. He makes his life holy and clean, just as Christ is holy.

⁴ Everyone who does wrong things is breaking God's law. Doing wrong things is breaking the law.

⁵ You know that Christ came to take away the wrong things people have done. He is the one who has done no wrong.

⁶ Everyone who stays with him does not do wrong things. Everyone who does wrong things has never seen him and has never known him.

⁷ My children, do not let anyone fool you. Anyone who does what is good, is good just as Christ is good.

⁸ Anyone who does what is wrong belongs to the devil. The devil has done what is wrong from the beginning. That is why God's Son came. He came to stop what the devil does.

⁹ No one who is God's child does wrong things, because God's life is in him. And he cannot keep on doing wrong things, because he is God's child.

¹⁰ This is how people can know who are God's children and who are the devil's children. Everyone who does not do right is not God's child. And anyone who does not love his brother is not God's child.

²⁴ `The one who learns is not better than his teacher. And the servant is not better than his master.

²⁵ The one who learns should want to be like his teacher. And the servant should want to be like his master. If they say the master belongs to the devil, they will say it all the more about those who work for him.'

²⁶ `So do not be afraid of people. Everything that is hidden will be seen. Everything that is hidden will be known.

²⁷ What I say to you in the dark, tell it in the light. What you hear in secret, shout to others from the tops of the houses.

²⁸ Do not fear people who can kill the body. They cannot kill the spirit. But fear the one who can destroy both spirit and body in hell.

²⁹ Are not two sparrows worth only a small amount of money? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing about it.

³⁰ Even the number of hairs on your head is known.

³¹ So do not fear. You are worth more than many sparrows.'

³² `If anyone tells people that he knows me, I will also tell the Father in heaven that I know him.

³³ But anyone who tells people he does not know me, I will also tell my Father in heaven that I do not know him.'