| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1(See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God's children--and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him. | 1See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. |
| 2Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. | 2Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. |
| 3And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure). | 3And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. |
| 4Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness. | 4Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. |
| 5And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. | 5And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. |
| 6Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. | 6Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. |
| 7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. | 7Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. |
| 8The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. | 8But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. |
| 9Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God's seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. | 9Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. |
| 10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness--the one who does not love his fellow Christian--is not of God. | 10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. Love One Another |
| 11For this is the gospel message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, | 11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. |
| 12not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's were righteous. | 12We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. |
| 13Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. | 13So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. |
| 14We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. | 14If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. |
| 15Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. | 15Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. |
| 16We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. | 16We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. |
| 17But whoever has the world's possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? | 17If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? |
| 18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. | 18Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. |
| 19And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, | 19Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. |
| 20that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. | 20Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. |
| 21Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God, | 21Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. |
| 22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him. | 22And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. |
| 23Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment. | 23And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. |
| 24And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us. | 24Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. |
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