1 John

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched

1     That ^awhich was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have ^bseen with our eyes, ^cwhich we have looked upon, and ^dour hands have handled, concerning the ^eWord of life— ^2 ^fthe life ^gwas manifested, and we have seen, ^hand bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was ⁱwith the Father and was manifested to us— ^3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is ^jwith the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ^4 And these things we write to you ^kthat ¹your joy may be full.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

^5 ^lThis is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that ^mGod is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ^6 ⁿIf we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ^7 But if we ^owalk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^pthe blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

^8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ^9 If we ^qconfess our sins, He is ^rfaithful and just to forgive us our sins and to ^scleanse us from all unrighteousness. ^10 If we say that we have not sinned, we ^tmake Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

2     My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, ^awe have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ^2 And ^bHe Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^calso for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

^3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ^4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a ^dliar, and the truth is not in him. ^5 But ^ewhoever keeps His word, truly the love of God ¹is perfected ^fin him. By this we know that we are in Him. ^6 ^gHe who says he abides in Him ^hought himself also to walk just as He walked.

^7 ²Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ⁱfrom the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard ³from the beginning. ^8 Again, ^ja new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, ^kbecause the darkness is passing away, and ^lthe true light is already shining.

^9 ^mHe who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. ^10 ⁿHe who loves his brother abides in the light, and ^othere is no cause for stumbling in him. ^11 But he who ^phates his brother is in darkness and ^qwalks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Their Spiritual State

¹²     I write to you, little children,

Because ^ryour sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

¹³     I write to you, fathers,

Because you have known Him who is ^sfrom the beginning.

     I write to you, young men,

Because you have overcome the wicked one.

     I write to you, little children,

Because you have ^tknown the Father.

¹⁴     I have written to you, fathers,

Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

     I have written to you, young men,

Because ^uyou are strong, and the word of God abides in you,

     And you have overcome the wicked one.

Do Not Love the World

^15 ^vDo not love the world or the things in the world. ^wIf anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ^16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, ^xthe lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ^17 And ^ythe world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

^18 ^zLittle children, ^ait is the last hour; and as you have heard that ^bthe ⁴Antichrist is coming, ^ceven now many antichrists have come, by which we know ^dthat it is the last hour. ^19 ^eThey went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^fif they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out ^gthat they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

^20 But ^hyou have an anointing ⁱfrom the Holy One, and ^jyou ⁵know all things. ^21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

^22 ^kWho is a liar but he who denies that ^lJesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ^23 ^mWhoever denies the Son does not have the ⁿFather either; ^ohe who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

^24 Therefore let that abide in you ^pwhich you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, ^qyou also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ^25 ^rAnd this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

^26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to ⁶deceive you. ^27 But the ^sanointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and ^tyou do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing ^uteaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you ⁷will abide in Him.

The Children of God

^28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that ⁸when He appears, we may have ^vconfidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ^29 ^wIf you know that He is righteous, you know that ^xeveryone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

3     Behold ^awhat manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that ^bwe should be called children of ¹God! Therefore the world does not know ²us, ^cbecause it did not know Him. ^2 Beloved, ^dnow we are children of God; and ^eit has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, ^fwe shall be like Him, for ^gwe shall see Him as He is. ^3 ^hAnd everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Sin and the Child of God

^4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and ⁱsin is lawlessness. ^5 And you know ^jthat He was manifested ^kto take away our sins, and ^lin Him there is no sin. ^6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

^7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. ^8 ^mHe who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, ⁿthat He might destroy the works of the devil. ^9 Whoever has been ^oborn of God does not sin, for ^pHis seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love

^10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ^11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, ^qthat we should love one another, ^12 not as ^rCain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

^13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if ^sthe world hates you. ^14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ³his brother abides in death. ^15 ^tWhoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^uno murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

^16 ^vBy this we know love, ^wbecause He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ^17 But ^xwhoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

^18 My little children, ^ylet us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ^19 And by this we ⁴know ^zthat we are of the truth, and shall ⁵assure our hearts before Him. ^20 ^aFor if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ^21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, ^bwe have confidence toward God. ^22 And ^cwhatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments ^dand do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ^23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ ^eand love one another, as He gave ⁶us commandment.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

^24 Now ^fhe who keeps His commandments ^gabides in Him, and He in him. And ^hby this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

4     Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but ^atest the spirits, whether they are of God; because ^bmany false prophets have gone out into the world. ^2 By this you know the Spirit of God: ^cEvery spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ^3 and every spirit that does not confess ¹that Jesus ²Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

^4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than ^dhe who is in the world. ^5 ^eThey are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and ^fthe world hears them. ^6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. ^gBy this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Knowing God Through Love

^7 ^hBeloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who ⁱloves is born of God and knows God. ^8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ^9 ^jIn this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten ^kSon into the world, that we might live through Him. ^10 In this is love, ^lnot that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son ^mto be the propitiation for our sins. ^11 Beloved, ⁿif God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Seeing God Through Love

^12 ^oNo one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ^13 ^pBy this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ^14 And ^qwe have seen and testify that ^rthe Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ^15 ^sWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ^16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and ^the who abides in love abides in God, and God ^uin him.

The Consummation of Love

^17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that ^vwe may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. ^18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ^19 ^wWe love ³Him because He first loved us.

Obedience by Faith

^20 ^xIf someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ⁴how can he love God ^ywhom he has not seen? ^21 And ^zthis commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

5     Whoever believes that ^aJesus is the Christ is ^bborn of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ^2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and ^ckeep His commandments. ^3 ^dFor this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And ^eHis commandments are not burdensome. ^4 For ^fwhatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that ^ghas overcome the world— ¹our faith. ^5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but ^hhe who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The Certainty of God’s Witness

^6 This is He who came ⁱby water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. ^jAnd it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. ^7 For there are three that bear witness ²in heaven: the Father, ^kthe Word, and the Holy Spirit; ^land these three are one. ^8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: ^mthe Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

^9 If we receive ⁿthe witness of men, the witness of God is greater; ^ofor this is the witness of ³God which He has testified of His Son. ^10 He who believes in the Son of God ^phas the witness in himself; he who does not believe God ^qhas made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. ^11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ^12 ^rHe who has the Son has ⁴life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have ⁴life. ^13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, ⁵and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Confidence and Compassion in Prayer

^14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that ^sif we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ^15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

^16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and ^tHe will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. ^uThere is sin leading to death. ^vI do not say that he should pray about that. ^17 ^wAll unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Knowing the True—Rejecting the False

^18 We know that ^xwhoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God ^ykeeps ⁶ ⁷himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

^19 We know that we are of God, and ^zthe whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

^20 And we know that the ^aSon of God has come and ^bhas given us an understanding, ^cthat we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. ^dThis is the true God ^eand eternal life.

^21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.