4Every one who committeth sin, committeth also a transgression of the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5And ye know that he was manifested, that he might take away our sins; and in him there is no sin. 6Every one who abideth in him, doth not sin; every one who sinneth hath not seen him, nor known him. 7My dear children, let no man deceive you: he who doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: 8he that practises sin is of the devil; for from the beginning the devil sinneth. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Every one who is born of God, doth not practise sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10By this the children of God are manifestly seen, and the children of the devil. Every one that doth not practise righteousness, is not of God, and he that loveth not his brother.
11For this is the commandment which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother: and wherefore did he slay him? Because his own works were wicked, and those of his brother righteous.
13Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14We know that we are passed out of a state of death into life, because we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15Every one who hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath life eternal abiding in him.
16By this we have known the love of Christ, because for us he laid down his own life: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whosoever hath worldly abundance, and seeth his brother under necessity, and shutteth his bowels of compassion against him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My dear children, let us not love in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth; 19and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and in his presence have this persuasion in our hearts. 20For should our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have confidence towards God. 22And whatsoever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things which are pleasing in his sight. 23And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him; and by this we know that he abideth in us, from the Spirit which he hath given us.
[CHAP. IV.]
BELOVED, believe not every pretender to inspiration, but bring these spirits to the trial whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone forth into the world. 2By this ye know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesseth that Jesus the Messiah is come in the flesh, is from God. 3And every spirit who confesseth not that Jesus the Messiah is come into the world, is not from God: and this is that spirit of antichrist which ye have heard that it is coming, and now is already in the world. 4Ye are of God, my dear children, and have overcome them; because he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. 5They are of the world, therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them. 6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion.
7Beloved, let us love one another; because love is from God, and every one who loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not, never knew God; for God is love. 9By this was the love of God manifested to us, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might have life by him. 10Herein is love, not that we have loved God, but that he hath loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his own Spirit. 14And we have seen and bear testimony, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. 16And we have known and believed the love which God hath towards us. God is love; and he that abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him. 17By this is his love towards us perfected, that we might have confidence at the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. 18Fear is not in this love; but the perfect love casteth out fear: for fear hath anguish. He that is afraid is not made perfect in love.
19We love him, because he first loved us. 20If any person say, I love God, yet hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he who loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love the God whom he hath not seen? 21So this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love also his brother.