1 John 3
1 See a what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called b children of God; and so we are. The reason why c the world does not know us is that d it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are e God’s children f now, and what we will be g has not yet appeared; but we know that h when he appears ▼
▼
Or when it appears
j we shall be like him, because k we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who l thus hopes in him m purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; n sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that o he appeared in order to p take away sins, and q in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; r no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children s let no one deceive you. t Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 u Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was v to destroy the works of the devil. 9 w No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s
▼
▼
Greek his
seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God y nor is the one who z does not love his brother. Love One Another
11 For aa this is the message that you have heard from the beginning ab that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like ac Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? ad Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, ▼
▼
Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God’s family, the church; also verses 14, 16
af that the world hates you. 14 We know that ag we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 ah Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ai no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that aj he laid down his life for us, and ak we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But al if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet am closes his heart against him an how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not ao love in word or talk but in deed and ap in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved aq if our heart does not condemn us ar we have confidence before God; 22 and as whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and at do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment au that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and av love one another aw just as he has commanded us. 24 ax Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God
▼
▼
Greek him
and God
▼
▼
Greek he
in him. And ba by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Copyright information for
ESV