Children of God

1Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God; and we are. And on this account the world does not know us, because it did not know him. 2Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it is not yet manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he may be made manifest, we shall be like him; because we shall see him as he is. 3Indeed every one having this hope on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

4Every one doing sin does also a transgression of the law: and sin is the transgression of the law. 5And you know that he was manifested that he might take away sins; and in him there is no sin. 6No one abiding in him is sinning: every one sinning does not see him, nor know him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. The one doing righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8The one doing sin is of the devil; because the devil sins from the beginning. Unto this the Son of God was made manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Every one having been born of God does not sin; because his seed remains in him: and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. 10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: every one not doing righteousness is not of God, and the one not loving his brother with divine love.

Love One Another
(John 13:31–35; Romans 12:9–13)

11Because this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we must love one another, 12not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother; and on account of what did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.

13And be not astonished, brother, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed out of the death into the life, because we love the brethren with divine love; the one loving not with divine love, abides in the death. 15Every one hating his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in himself. 16In this we know the divine love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17Whosoever may have the sustenance of the world, and see his brother having need, and shut up his sympathies from him, how dwells the divine love of God in him? 18Little children, let us love with divine love not in word, nor in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19And in this we shall know that we are of the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before him; 20because if our heart may condemn us, it is because God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things. 21Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God: 22and whatsoever we may ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things pleasing before him.

23And this is his commandment, that we may believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and we may love one another with divine love, as he has given to us commandment. 24And the one keeping his commandments abides in him, and he in him; and in this we know that he abides in us, he has given us of his Spirit.