See ^1ahow great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called ^bchildren of God; and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because ^cit did not know Him. 2 ^aBeloved, now we are ^bchildren of God, and ^cit has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when He ^dis manifested, we will be ^elike Him, because we will ^fsee Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this ^ahope fixed on Him ^bpurifies himself, just as He is pure.

4 Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; and ^asin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He ^awas manifested in order to ^btake away sins, and ^cin Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him ^asins; no one who sins has seen Him or ^1bhas come to know Him. 7 ^aLittle children, let no one ^bdeceive you. ^cThe one who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who does sin is ^aof the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. ^bThe Son of God ^cwas manifested for this purpose, ^dto destroy the works of the devil. 9 Everyone who has been ^1aborn of God ^bdoes not sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been ²born of God. 10 By this the ^achildren of God and the ^bchildren of the devil are manifested: everyone who does not do righteousness is not of God, as well as the one who ^cdoes not love his ^dbrother.

11 ^aFor this is the message ^bwhich you have heard from the beginning, ^cthat we should love one another; 12 not as ^aCain, who was of ^bthe evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because ^chis deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

13 Do not marvel, brothers, if ^athe world hates you. 14 We know that we have ^apassed out of death into life, ^bbecause we love the brothers. The one who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who ^ahates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^bno murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we have known love, that ^aHe laid down His life for us; and ^bwe ought to lay down our lives for the ^cbrothers. 17 But ^awhoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and ^bcloses his ¹heart ²against him, ^chow does the love of God abide in him? 18 ^aLittle children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and ^btruth. 19 And by this we will know that we are ^aof the truth, and will ¹assure our heart before Him 20 ¹in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21 ^aBeloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have ^bconfidence ¹before God; 22 and ^awhatever we ask we receive from Him, because we ^bkeep His commandments and do ^cthe things that are pleasing in His sight.

23 And this is His commandment, that we ^1abelieve in ^bthe name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as ^cHe gave a commandment to us. 24 And the one who ^akeeps His commandments ^babides in Him, and He in him. ^cWe know by this that ^dHe abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us.