1 John 3

1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God—and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

2Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that if he is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

3And everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

4Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

5And you know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6Everyone who remains in him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen him nor known him.

7Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as that one is righteous.

8The one who practices sin is from the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.

9Everyone who has been born of God does not practice sin, because his seed remains in him; and he is not able to keep sinning, because he has been born of God.

10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are evident: everyone who does not practice righteousness is not from God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

11For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another.

12not like Cain, who was from the evil one and slaughtered his brother. And why did he slaughter him? Because his deeds were evil, but those of his brother were righteous.

13Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

14We know that we have passed from death into life, because we love the brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that every murderer does not have eternal life remaining in him.

16By this we have come to know love: that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

17But whoever has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him—how does the love of God remain in him?

18Little children, let us not love in word or with the tongue, but in deed and truth.

19By this we will know that we are from the truth, and before him we will persuade our hearts,

20for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things.

21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God,

22And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight.

23And this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus the Messiah and love one another, just as he gave us command.

24And the one who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he remains in us: by the Spirit whom he gave to us.