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1 John 1-3
New Living Translation

Introduction

1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,[a] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.[b]

Living in the Light

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

2 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

A New Commandment

7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer,[d] that person is still living in darkness. 10 Anyone who loves a fellow believer[e] is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

12 I am writing to you who are God’s children
    because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[f]
13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[g]
    because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
    because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14 I have written to you who are God’s children
    because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
    because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
    because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
    and you have won your battle with the evil one.

Do Not Love This World

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Warning about Antichrists

18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit,[h] and all of you know the truth. 21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. 22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ.[i] Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.[j] 23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 25 And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

26 I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit,[k] and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit[l] teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

Living as Children of God

28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

3 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life[m] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers[n] does not belong to God.

Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,[o] if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers,[p] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister[q] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister[r] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Greek What was from the beginning.
  2. 1:4 Or so that our joy may be complete; some manuscripts read your joy.
  3. 1:5 Greek from him.
  4. 2:9 Greek hates his brother; also in 2:11.
  5. 2:10 Greek loves his brother.
  6. 2:12 Greek through his name.
  7. 2:13 Or to you fathers; also in 2:14.
  8. 2:20 Greek But you have an anointing from the Holy One.
  9. 2:22a Or not the Messiah.
  10. 2:22b Or the antichrist.
  11. 2:27a Greek the anointing from him.
  12. 2:27b Greek the anointing.
  13. 3:9 Greek because his seed.
  14. 3:10 Greek does not love his brother.
  15. 3:13 Greek brothers.
  16. 3:14 Greek the brothers; similarly in 3:16.
  17. 3:15 Greek hates his brother.
  18. 3:17 Greek sees his brother.
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1 John 1-3
New International Version

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning,(A) which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,(B) which we have looked at and our hands have touched(C)—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared;(D) we have seen it and testify to it,(E) and we proclaim to you the eternal life,(F) which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,(G) so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.(H) 4 We write this(I) to make our[a] joy complete.(J)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

5 This is the message we have heard(K) from him and declare to you: God is light;(L) in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,(M) we lie and do not live out the truth.(N) 7 But if we walk in the light,(O) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.(P)

8 If we claim to be without sin,(Q) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.(R) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins(S) and purify us from all unrighteousness.(T) 10 If we claim we have not sinned,(U) we make him out to be a liar(V) and his word is not in us.(W)

2 My dear children,(X) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate(Y) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,(Z) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.(AA)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

3 We know(AB) that we have come to know him(AC) if we keep his commands.(AD) 4 Whoever says, “I know him,”(AE) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.(AF) 5 But if anyone obeys his word,(AG) love for God[c] is truly made complete in them.(AH) This is how we know(AI) we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.(AJ)

7 Dear friends,(AK) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.(AL) This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command;(AM) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing(AN) and the true light(AO) is already shining.(AP)

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[d](AQ) is still in the darkness.(AR) 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[e] lives in the light,(AS) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.(AT) 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister(AU) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.(AV) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.(AW)

Reasons for Writing

12 I am writing to you, dear children,(AX)
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.(AY)
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.(AZ)
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome(BA) the evil one.(BB)

14 I write to you, dear children,(BC)
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.(BD)
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,(BE)
    and the word of God(BF) lives in you,(BG)
    and you have overcome the evil one.(BH)

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world.(BI) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[f] is not in them.(BJ) 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,(BK) the lust of the eyes,(BL) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away,(BM) but whoever does the will of God(BN) lives forever.

Warnings Against Denying the Son

18 Dear children, this is the last hour;(BO) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,(BP) even now many antichrists have come.(BQ) This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us,(BR) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.(BS)

20 But you have an anointing(BT) from the Holy One,(BU) and all of you know the truth.[g](BV) 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it(BW) and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.(BX) 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.(BY)

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning(BZ) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.(CA) 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.(CB)

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.(CC) 27 As for you, the anointing(CD) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things(CE) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.(CF)

God’s Children and Sin

28 And now, dear children,(CG) continue in him, so that when he appears(CH) we may be confident(CI) and unashamed before him at his coming.(CJ)

29 If you know that he is righteous,(CK) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.(CL)

3 See what great love(CM) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(CN) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(CO) 2 Dear friends,(CP) now we are children of God,(CQ) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[h](CR) we shall be like him,(CS) for we shall see him as he is.(CT) 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(CU) just as he is pure.(CV)

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(CW) 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(CX) And in him is no sin.(CY) 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(CZ) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(DA) or known him.(DB)

7 Dear children,(DC) do not let anyone lead you astray.(DD) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(DE) 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(DF) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(DG) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(DH) 9 No one who is born of God(DI) will continue to sin,(DJ) because God’s seed(DK) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(DL) are and who the children of the devil(DM) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(DN) their brother and sister.(DO)

More on Love and Hatred

11 For this is the message you heard(DP) from the beginning:(DQ) We should love one another.(DR) 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(DS) and murdered his brother.(DT) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(DU) 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[i] if the world hates you.(DV) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life,(DW) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.(DX) 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister(DY) is a murderer,(DZ) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.(EA)

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.(EB) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.(EC) 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,(ED) how can the love of God be in that person?(EE) 18 Dear children,(EF) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(EG)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends,(EH) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(EI) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(EJ) because we keep his commands(EK) and do what pleases him.(EL) 23 And this is his command: to believe(EM) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(EN) and to love one another as he commanded us.(EO) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(EP) lives in him,(EQ) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(ER)

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
  2. 1 John 1:7 Or every
  3. 1 John 2:5 Or word, God’s love
  4. 1 John 2:9 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15, 17; 4:20; 5:16.
  5. 1 John 2:10 The Greek word for brother and sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in 3:10; 4:20, 21.
  6. 1 John 2:15 Or world, the Father’s love
  7. 1 John 2:20 Some manuscripts and you know all things
  8. 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
  9. 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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