Children of God Love One Another

3 See ^[a](A)how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called ^(B)children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because ^(C)it did not know Him. ^2 (D)Beloved, now we are ^(E)children of God, and ^(F)it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He ^(G)appears, we will be ^(H)like Him, because we will ^(I)see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this ^(J)hope set on Him ^(K)purifies himself, just as He is pure.

⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and ^(L)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that He ^(M)appeared in order to ^(N)take away sins; and ^(O)in Him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who remains in Him ^(P)sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or ^[b](Q)knows Him. ^7 (R)Little children, make sure no one ^(S)deceives you; ^(T)the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; ⁸ the one who practices sin is ^(U)of the devil; for the devil ^[c]has been sinning from the beginning. ^(V)The Son of God ^(W)appeared for this purpose, ^(X)to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one who has been ^(Y)born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this the ^(Z)children of God and the ^(AA)children of the devil are obvious: ^[d]anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who ^(AB)does not love his ^(AC)brother and sister.

^11 (AD)For this is the message ^(AE)which you have heard from the beginning, ^(AF)that we are to love one another; ¹² not as ^(AG)Cain, who was of ^(AH)the evil one and murdered his brother. And for what reason did he murder him? Because ^(AI)his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.

¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if ^(AJ)the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have ^(AK)passed out of death into life, ^(AL)because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who ^(AM)hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that ^(AN)no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. ¹⁶ We know love by this, that ^(AO)He laid down His life for us; and ^(AP)we ought to lay down our lives for the ^(AQ)brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ But ^(AR)whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and ^(AS)closes his ^[e]heart ^[f]against him, ^(AT)how does the love of God remain in him? ^18 (AU)Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and ^(AV)truth. ¹⁹ We will know by this that we are ^(AW)of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, ²⁰ that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things. ^21 (AX)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have ^(AY)confidence ^[g]before God; ²² and ^(AZ)whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we ^(BA)keep His commandments and do ^(BB)the things that are pleasing in His sight.

²³ This is His commandment, that we ^[h](BC)believe in ^(BD)the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as ^(BE)He ^[i]commanded us. ²⁴ The one who ^(BF)keeps His commandments ^(BG)remains in Him, and He in him. ^(BH)We know by this that ^(BI)He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.