12I write to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for his name's sake. 13I write to you, fathers, because ye know him that was from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one.
I wrote to you, little children, because ye know the Father. 14I wrote to you, fathers, because ye know him that was from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and ye have overcome the evil one.
15Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16Because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the empty pomp of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world is passing away, and the lust thereof; but he that does the will of God abides forever.
18Little children, it is the last time; and as ye heard that antichrist should come, even now many antichrists have arisen; from whence we know that it is the last time. 19They went out from among us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but it was in order that they might be made manifest, that all are not of us.
20And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and know all things. 21I wrote not to you because ye do not know the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22Who is the liar, but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. 23Every one that denies the Son, the same has not the Father; he that acknowledges the Son has also the Father.
24What ye heard from the beginning, let it abide in you. If what ye heard from the beginning shall abide in you, ye also will abide in the Son, and in the Father. 25And this is the promise which he himself promised to us, the life eternal.
26These things I wrote to you concerning those who seduce you. 27And the anointing which ye received from him abides in you, and ye have no need that any one teach you; but, as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is truth, and is not a lie, and even as it taught you, abide in him.
28And now, little children, abide in him; that, if he should be manifested, we may have confidence, and not turn away from him with shame at his coming. 29If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that does righteousness has been begotten of him.
III. Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. For this cause the world knows not us, because it knew not him. 2Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it was never yet manifested what we shall be. We know that if it shall be manifested, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And every one, that has this hope on him, purifies himself even as he is pure. 4Every one that commits sin also commits transgression of law; and sin is transgression of law. 5And ye know that he was manifested that he might take away our[5] sins; and in him is no sin. 6Every one that abides in him sins not; whoever sins has not seen him, neither has known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. He that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8He that commits sin is of the Devil; because the Devil sins from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil. 9Whoever has been begotten of God does not commit sin; because his seed abides in him; and he can not sin, because he has been begotten of God. 10In this are manifest the children of God, and the children of the Devil. Every one that does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother; 11because this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another 12Not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. 13Wonder not, brethren, if the world hates you.
14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother[14] abides in death. 15Every one that hates his brother is a murderer[15]; and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16In this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoever has the world's sustenance, and sees his brother having need, and shuts up his pity from him, how abides the love of God in him?