Overcoming the World

¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.

²By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.

³For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,

⁴because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

⁵Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

⁶This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, because the Spirit is the truth.

⁷For there are three that testify:

⁸the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.

God’s Testimony about His Son

⁹Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son.

¹⁰Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son.

¹¹And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Effective Prayer

¹³I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

¹⁵And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.

¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, yet there is sin that does not lead to death.

The True God

¹⁸We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him,and the evil onecannot touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Jesus Our Advocate

¹My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

²He Himself is the atoning sacrificefor our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

³By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.

⁴If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

⁵But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:

⁶Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.

A New Commandment

⁷Beloved, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old one, which you have had from the beginning. This commandment is the message you have heard.

⁸Then again, I am also writing to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.

⁹If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.

¹⁰Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.

¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹²I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven through His name.

¹³I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.

¹⁴I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

¹⁷The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Beware of Antichrists

¹⁸Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.

¹⁹They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.

²⁰You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

²¹I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth.

²²Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.

²³Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Remain in Christ

²⁴As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father.

²⁵And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

²⁶I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

²⁷And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

²⁸And now, little children, remain in Christ,so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

²⁹If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.

Children of God

¹Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

²Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears,we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

³And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.

⁴Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.

⁵But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.

⁶No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.

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

⁸The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

¹⁰By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Love One Another

¹¹This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

¹²Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

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

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

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

¹⁶By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

¹⁷If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.

¹⁹And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:

²⁰Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.

²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,

²²and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.

²³And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.

²⁴Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.

A Father’s Instruction

¹Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;pay attention and gain understanding.

²For I give you sound teaching;do not abandon my directive.

³When I was a son to my father,tender and the only child of my mother,

⁴he taught me and said,“Let your heart lay hold of my words;keep my commands and you will live.

⁵Get wisdom, get understanding;do not forget my words or turn from them.

⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you;love her, and she will guard you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom.And whatever you may acquire,gain understanding.

⁸Prize her, and she will exalt you;if you embrace her, she will honor you.

⁹She will set a garland of grace on your head;she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my words,and the years of your life will be many.

¹¹I will guide you in the way of wisdom;I will lead you on straight paths.

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Hold on to instruction; do not let go.Guard it, for it is your life.

¹⁴Do not set foot on the path of the wickedor walk in the way of evildoers.

¹⁵Avoid it; do not travel on it.Turn from it and pass on by.

¹⁶For they cannot sleepunless they do evil;they are deprived of slumberuntil they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickednessand drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,shining brighter and brighter until midday.

¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;they do not know what makes them stumble.

²⁰My son, pay attention to my words;incline your ear to my sayings.

²¹Do not lose sight of them;keep them within your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them,and health to the whole body.

²³Guard your heart with all diligence,for from it flow springs of life.

²⁴Put away deception from your mouth;keep your lips from perverse speech.

²⁵Let your eyes look forward;fix your gaze straight ahead.

²⁶Make a level path for your feet,and all your ways will be sure.

²⁷Do not swerve to the right or to the left;turn your feet away from evil.