We Are God’s Children

3 ·The Father has loved us so much [^LSee what sort of love the Father has given us…!] that we are called children of God. ·And we really are his children [^LAnd we are!]. The reason ·the people in the world do [^Lthe world does] not know us is that they have not known him. ² ·Dear friends [^LBeloved], now we are children of God, and ·we have not yet been shown [it has not yet been revealed] what we will be in the future. But we know that when ·Christ comes again [^Lhe/it is revealed], we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. ³ And all who have this hope in ·Christ [^Lhim] keep themselves pure, just as ·Christ [^Lhe] is pure.

⁴ ·The person [^LEveryone] who ·sins [commits sin] ·breaks God’s law [commits lawlessness/iniquity; ^Creferring to the false teachers; 2:19–20]. Yes, sin is ·living against God’s law [lawlessness; iniquity]. ⁵ You know that ·Christ came [^Lhe has appeared/was revealed] to take away sins and that there is no sin in ·Christ [^Lhim]. ⁶ So anyone who ·lives [abides; remains] in ·Christ [^Lhim] does not ·go on sinning [or sin; ^Cthe Christian ideal, an implicit call to avoid sin]. Anyone who ·goes on sinning [or sins] has ·never really understood Christ and has never known him [^Lneither seen him nor known him].

⁷ Dear children [2:1], do not let anyone ·lead you the wrong way [deceive you]. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as ·Christ [^Lhe] is righteous. ⁸ Anyone who ·continues to sin [or sins] belongs to the devil [John 8:44], because the devil has been sinning since the beginning. The Son of God ·came [was revealed; appeared] for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work [Matt. 4:1–11; 12:25–29; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Rev. 12:7–12; 20:1–3].

⁹ ·Those [^LAll] who are ·God’s children [^Lborn of/begotten by God; 2:29] do not ·continue sinning [or sin], because ·the new life from God [or God’s message; or God’s Spirit; ^Lhis seed/sperm] ·remains [abides] in them. They are not able to ·go on sinning [or sin], because they ·have become children of God [^Lare born of/begotten by God]. ¹⁰ ·So we can see [^LIn this way it is apparent/revealed/evident] who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are: Those who do not ·do what is right [practice righteousness] are not ·God’s children [^Lfrom/of God], and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not ·God’s children [^Lfrom/of God].

We Must Love Each Other

¹¹ This is the ·teaching [message] you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other [^Cas Jesus himself taught: John 13:34–35; 15:12]. ¹² Do not be like Cain who belonged to the Evil One and ·killed [murdered] his brother [Gen. 4; John 8:44]. And why did he ·kill [murder] him? Because the things Cain did were evil, and the things his brother did were ·good [righteous; just].

¹³ Brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], do not ·be surprised [be amazed; wonder] ·when [or that; or if] ·the people of the world hate [^Lthe world hates] you. ¹⁴ We know we have ·left death and have come into life [passed/crossed from death to life; John 5:24] because we love ·each other [^Lthe brothers and sisters]. Whoever does not love ·is still dead [abides/remains/continues in death]. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates a brother or sister [^Cfellow believer] is a murderer [^Cbecause they have killed that person in their heart; Matt. 5:21–26], and you know that no murderers have eternal life [^Labiding; remaining] in them. ¹⁶ This is how we know what real love is: ·Jesus [^Lhe] ·gave [laid down] his life for us [John 15:13]. So we should ·give [lay down] our lives for our brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers; John 15:12]. ¹⁷ Suppose someone has ·enough to live [^Lthe world’s possessions/goods] and sees a brother or sister [^Cfellow believer] in need, but ·does not help [^Lcloses off his heart/compassion from him]. ·Then God’s love is not living in that person [^LHow does God’s love abide/remain in him?]. ¹⁸ My children [2:1], we should love people not only ·with words and talk [^Lin word and tongue], but ·by our actions and true caring [or by showing true love through our actions; ^Lin deed and truth].

·This is the way [^LBy this] we ·know [^Lwill know; ^Cperhaps in a future moment of crisis] that we belong to the ·way of truth [^Ltruth]. ·When [or If] our hearts [^Cour conscience] ·make us feel guilty [condemn/convict us], ·we can still have peace before God [our hearts can be reassured before him]. God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything [1 Cor. 4:3–5]. ²¹ ·My dear friends [^LBeloved], if our hearts do not ·make us feel guilty [condemn/convict us], we ·can come without fear into God’s presence [^Lhave boldness/confidence before God]. ²² And ·God gives us [^Lwe receive from him] what we ask for because we obey ·God’s [^Lhis] commands and do what pleases him [John 14:14; 16:23]. ²³ This is ·what God commands [^Lhis command]: that we believe in [^Lthe name of] his Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love each other, just as he commanded. ²⁴ The people who ·obey [keep] God’s commands ·live [abide; remain] in God, and God ·lives [abides; remains] in them. We know that God ·lives [abides; remains] in us ·because of [by; from] the Spirit God gave us.