3:1 (See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that 1 we should be called God’s children – and indeed 2 we are! 3 For this reason 4 the world does not know us: because it did not know him. 5 3:2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be 6 has not yet been revealed. We 7 know that 8 whenever 9 it 10 is revealed 11 we will be like him, because 12 we will see him just as he is. 13 3:3 And everyone who has this hope focused 14 on him purifies 15 himself, just as Jesus 16 is pure). 17
3:4 Everyone who practices sin 18 also practices lawlessness; 19 indeed, 20 sin is lawlessness. 3:5 And you know that Jesus 21 was revealed to take away 22 sins, and in him there is no sin. 3:6 Everyone who resides 23 in him does not sin; 24 everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness 25 is righteous, just as Jesus 26 is righteous. 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, 27 because the devil has been sinning 28 from the beginning. For this purpose 29 the Son of God was revealed: to destroy 30 the works of the devil. 3:9 Everyone who has been fathered 31 by God does not practice sin, 32 because 33 God’s 34 seed 35 resides in him, and thus 36 he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. 3:10 By this 37 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 38 – is not of God.
3:11 For 39 this is the gospel 40 message 41 that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, 42 3:12 not like Cain 43 who was of the evil one and brutally 44 murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.
3:13 Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, 45 if the world hates you. 46 3:14 We know that 47 we have crossed over 48 from death to life 49 because 50 we love our fellow Christians. 51 The one who does not love remains in death. 52 3:15 Everyone who hates his fellow Christian 53 is a murderer, 54 and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing 55 in him. 3:16 We have come to know love by this: 56 that Jesus 57 laid down 58 his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 3:17 But whoever has the world’s possessions 59 and sees his fellow Christian 60 in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God 61 reside 62 in such a person? 63
3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. 64 3:19 And by this 65 we will know that we are of the truth and will convince 66 our conscience 67 in his presence, 68 3:20 that 69 if our conscience condemns 70 us, that 71 God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. 3:21 Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God, 3:22 and 72 whatever we ask we receive from him, because 73 we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him. 3:23 Now 74 this is his commandment: 75 that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave 76 us the commandment. 3:24 And the person who keeps his commandments resides 77 in God, 78 and God 79 in him. Now by this 80 we know that God 81 resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.