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1 John 3

New International Reader’s Version

1 See what amazing love the Father has given us! Because of it, we are called children of God. And that’s what we really are! The world doesn’t know us because it didn’t know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God. He still hasn’t let us know what we will be. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him. That’s because we will see him as he really is. 3 Christ is pure. All who hope to be like him make themselves pure. 4 Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, breaking the law is sin. 5 But you know that Christ came to take our sins away. And there is no sin in him. 6 No one who remains joined to him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone lead you astray. The person who does what is right is holy, just as Christ is holy. 8 The person who does what is sinful belongs to the devil. That’s because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the devil’s work. 9 Those who are God’s children will not keep on sinning. God’s very nature remains in them. They can’t go on sinning. That’s because they are God’s children. 10 Here is how you can tell the difference between God’s children and the devil’s children. Anyone who doesn’t do what is right isn’t God’s child. And anyone who doesn’t love their brother or sister isn’t God’s child either. 



11 From the beginning we have heard that we should love one another. 12 Don’t be like Cain. He belonged to the evil one. He murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because the things Cain had done were wrong. But the things his brother had done were right. 13 My brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have left our old dead way of life. And we have entered into new life. We know this because we love one another. Anyone who doesn’t love still lives in their old condition. 15 Anyone who hates their brother or sister is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life. 16 We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. And suppose that person doesn’t take pity on these needy people. Then how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, don’t just talk about love. Put your love into action. Then it will truly be love. 19 Here’s how we know that we hold to the truth. And here’s how we put our hearts at rest, knowing that God is watching. 20 If our hearts judge us, we know that God is greater than our hearts. And he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not judge us, we can be bold with God. 22 And he will give us anything we ask. That’s because we obey his commands. We do what pleases him. 23 God has commanded us to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. He has also commanded us to love one another. 24 The one who obeys God’s commands remains joined to him. And he remains joined to them. Here is how we know that God lives in us. We know it because of the Holy Spirit he gave us. 

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1 John 3

English Standard Version

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (Joh 1:12; Joh 3:16; Joh 16:3; Joh 17:25; 1Jo 4:10; 1Jo 4:17) 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[1] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (Joh 17:24; Ro 8:15; Ro 8:18; Ro 8:29; 1Co 13:12; 2Co 3:18; 2Co 4:11; 2Co 4:17; Ga 3:26; Eph 1:5; Php 3:21; 2Pe 1:4; 1Jo 2:28; 1Jo 3:1; Re 22:4) 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (Ro 15:12; 2Co 7:1) 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (Ro 4:15; 1Jo 5:17) 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. (Isa 53:11; Heb 9:26; 1Pe 2:22; 1Jo 1:2) 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (1Jo 2:4; 1Jo 4:8; 3Jo 1:11) 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. (1Jo 2:26; 1Jo 2:29) 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (Ge 3:15; Mt 13:38; Lu 10:18; Joh 8:44; Joh 16:11; Heb 2:14) 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s[2] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. (1Jo 5:18) 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (1Jo 4:8; 1Jo 4:20) 



11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (Joh 13:34; 1Jo 1:5; 1Jo 2:24) 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. (Ge 4:4; Ge 4:8; Ps 38:20; Pr 29:10; Heb 11:4; Jud 1:11) 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,[3] that the world hates you. (Joh 15:18; Joh 17:14) 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. (Joh 5:24) 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (Mt 5:21; Ga 5:21; Re 21:8) 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (Joh 15:13; Php 2:17) 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (De 15:7; Jas 2:15; 1Jo 4:20) 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (Eze 33:31; Eph 4:15; 2Jo 1:1; 3Jo 1:1) 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; (Job 11:15; Job 22:26; Ro 14:22; 1Co 4:4; 1Jo 5:14) 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. (Mt 7:7; Joh 8:29) 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (Joh 6:29; Ac 18:8; 1Jo 2:8; 1Jo 3:11) 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,[4] and God[5] in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (Joh 6:56; Joh 14:20; Joh 15:4; Joh 17:21; Ro 8:9; 1Jo 4:13) 

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.