Beginning

True witness of the everlasting word of God. The blood of Christ is the purgation from sin. No man is without sin.

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life – ² for the life appeared, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you that eternal life, which was with the Father and appeared to us – ³ that which we have seen and heard, we declare to you so that you may have fellowship with us, and so that our fellowship may be with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And this we write to you so that your joy may be full.

⁵ And this is the tidings that we have heard from him and declare to you: that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him, and yet walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in light, even as he is in light, then we have fellowship with him, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Christ is our advocate. Of true love, and how it is tried.

2 My little children, these things I write to you so that you do not sin. Yet if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father: Jesus Christ the Righteous, ² and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of all the world. 

³ And hereby are we sure that we know him: if we keep his commandments. ⁴ He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ Whoever keeps his word, in him is the love of God perfected in deed. And thereby we know that we are in him. ⁶ He who says he abides in him ought to walk even as he walked.

⁷ Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but that old commandment that you heard from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you heard from the beginning. ⁸ Again, a new commandment I write to you, a thing that is true in him and also in you. For the darkness is past and the true light now shines. ⁹ He who says that he is in the light and yet hates his brother, is in darkness even until this time. ¹⁰ He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no occasion of evil in him. ¹¹ He who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he goes because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹² Babes, I write to you because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. ¹³ I write to you fathers because you know him who was from the beginning. I write to you young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you little children because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I write to you fathers because you know him who was from the beginning. I write to you young men because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome that wicked one.

¹⁵ See that you love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world (as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of goods) is not of the Father, but of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is vanishing away, and the desires of it. But he who fulfils the will of God endures forever.

¹⁸ Little children, it is the last time. And as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many Antichrists come already. By this we know that it is the last time. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But this happened so that it might appear that they were not of us.

²⁰ And you have an anointing of the Holy Spirit, and you know all things. ²¹ I did not write to you as though you did not know the truth, but as knowing it, and as knowing also that no lie comes of truth. ²² Who is a liar, but he who denies that Jesus is Christ? He is the Antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies the Son, the same does not have the Father.

²⁴ Let therefore abide in you that which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will continue in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And the promise that he has promised us is eternal life.

²⁶ This I have written to you concerning those who deceive you.

²⁷ And the anointing that you have received from him dwells in you, and you need not that any man teach you – but as the anointing teaches you all things, and is true, and is no lie, and as it taught you, even so abide therein.

²⁸ And now babes, abide in him, so that when he appears we may be bold, and not be made ashamed before him at his coming. ²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, know also that he who follows righteousness is born of him.

The singular love of God toward us. How we in response ought to love one another.

3 Behold what love the Father has shown on us, that we should be called the children of God. Because of this, the world does not know you: because it does not know him. ² Dearly beloveds, now we are the children of God. And yet it does not appear what we will be. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

  ⁴ Whoever commits sin, commits unrighteousness also. For sin is unrighteousness. ⁵ And you know that he appeared to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. ⁶ As many as abide in him do not sin. Whoever sins has not seen him, neither has known him.

⁷ Babes, let no one deceive you. He who does righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ He who commits sin is of the devil. For the devil has sinned since the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared: to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whosoever is born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. ¹⁰ In this are the children of God known, and the children of the devil. Whoever does not work righteousness is not of God, neither he who does not love his brother.

¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning: that you should love one another – ¹² not like Cain, who was of the wicked one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s good.  ¹³ Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother, abides in death. ¹⁵ Whosoever hates his brother is a man-slayer. And you know that no man-slayer has eternal life abiding in him.

¹⁶ By this we perceive love: that he gave his life for us. And therefore we also ought to give our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his compassion from him, how does the love of God dwell in him?

¹⁸ My babes, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ For by this we know that we are of the truth, and can quiet our hearts before him. ²⁰ But if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloveds, if our hearts do not condemn us, then we have trust before God – ²² and whatever we ask, we shall receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

²³ And this is his commandment: that we believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave commandment. ²⁴ And he who keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he in him. And by this we know that there abides in us of the Spirit that he gave us.

Difference of spirits, and how the Spirit of God may be known from the spirit of error. Of the love of God and of our neighbours.

4 Ye beloveds, believe not every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God or not. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you may know the spirit that is of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is of God. ³ And every spirit which does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is not of God; and this is the spirit of Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he would come. And even now already he is in the world.

⁴ Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them. For greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. ⁵ They are of the world, and therefore what they say is of the world, and the world hears them. ⁶ We are of God. He who knows God, hears us. He who is not of God, does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

⁷ Beloveds, let us love one another. For love comes of God. And every one who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love, does not know God. For God is love.

⁹ In this did the love of God for us appear, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him. ¹⁰ Herein is love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

¹¹ Beloveds, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. ¹² No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we dwell in him, and he in us – because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son, who is the Saviour of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, in him dwells God, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has to us.

God is love, and he who dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. ¹⁷ In this is the love made perfect in us, so that we may have trust in the day of judgment. For as he is, even so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear. For fear has painfulness. He who fears is not perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love him because he first loved us. ²⁰ If a person says, I love God, and yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For how can he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ And this commandment we have from him: that he who loves God, should love his brother also.

To love God is to keep his commandments. Faith overcomes the world. Everlasting life is in the Son of God. Of the sin unto death.

5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And everyone who loves him who begat, loves also the child who was born of him. ² In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep his commandments. ³ This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not grievous. ⁴ For all that is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶ This Jesus Christ is he who came by water and blood – not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. ⁷ (For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.) ⁸ And there are three which bear witness (in earth): the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three are one. ⁹ If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which he testified of his Son. ¹⁰ He who believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself.  He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God gave of his Son. ¹¹ And this is that testimony: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son of God, does not have life.

¹³ These things I have written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life, and so that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴ And this is the trust that we have in him: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we will have the petitions that we ask of him.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother sin a sin that is not unto death, let him ask, and he will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death, for which I do not say that a person should pray. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not unto death.

¹⁸ We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one does not touch him.

¹⁹ We know that we are of God, and that the world is altogether set on wickedness. ²⁰ We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us a mind to know him who is true. And we are in him who is true through his Son Jesus Christ. This same is very God and eternal life.

²¹ Babes, keep yourselves
from idols.
Amen.