Read the Bible

Christ Is Our Advocate

^1 (C1)My little children (believers, dear ones), I am ^(C2)writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God's law. And if anyone sins, ^(C3)we have an ^(C4)Advocate who will intercede for us with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father's will in every way—purpose, thought, and action.² And He that same Jesus is ^(C1)the propitiation for our sins the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle; and not for ours alone, but also ^(C2)for the sins of all believers throughout the whole world.

^3 (C1)And this is how we know daily, by experience that we have come to ^(C2)know Him to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him: if we habitually ^(C3)keep focused on His precepts and obey His commandments (teachings).⁴ Whoever says, "^(C1)I have come to ^(C2)know Him," but does not habitually keep focused on His precepts and obey His commandments (teachings), is a ^(C3)liar, and ^(C4)the truth of the divine word is not in him.⁵ But whoever habitually ^(C1)keeps His word and obeys His precepts and treasures His message in its entirety, in him the ^(C2)love of God has truly been perfected it is completed and has reached maturity. ^(C3)By this we know for certain that we are in Him:⁶ whoever says he ^(C1)lives in Christ that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior ^(C2)ought as a moral obligation to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.

^7 (C1)Beloved, I am ^(C2)not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ^(C3)from the beginning; the old commandment is the message which you have heard before from us. ^(VR1)8 On the other hand, I am writing ^(C1)a new commandment to you, which is true and realized in Christ and in you, because ^(C2)the darkness of moral blindness is clearing away and ^(C3)the true Light the revelation of God in Christ is already shining.⁹ The one who says he is in the Light in consistent fellowship with Christ and yet ^(F1)habitually ^(C1)hates (works against) his ^(C2)brother in Christ is in the darkness until now.^10 (C1)The one who ^(F1)loves and unselfishly seeks the best for his believing brother lives in the Light, and in him there is no occasion for stumbling or offense he does not hurt the cause of Christ or lead others to sin.¹¹ But the one who habitually ^(C1)hates (works against) his brother in Christ is in spiritual darkness and is ^(C2)walking in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has ^(C3)blinded his eyes.

¹² I am writing to you, ^(C1)little children (believers, dear ones), because ^(C2)your sins have been forgiven for His name's sake you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior.¹³ I am writing to you, fathers those believers who are spiritually mature, because you know Him ^(C1)who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men those believers who are growing in spiritual maturity, because ^(C2)you have been victorious and have overcome ^(C3)the evil one. I have written to you, children those who are new believers, those spiritually immature, because ^(C4)you have come to know the Father.¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him ^(C1)who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are ^(C2)strong and vigorous, and the ^(C3)word of God remains always in you, and ^(C4)you have been victorious over the evil one by accepting Jesus as Savior.

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵ Do not love ^(C1)the world of sin that opposes God and His precepts, nor the things that are in the world. ^(C2)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.¹⁶ For all that is in the world—^(C1)the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and ^(C2)the lust and longing of the eyes and ^(C3)the boastful pride of life pretentious confidence in one's resources or in the stability of earthly things—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.^17 (C1)The world is passing away, and with it its lusts the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings; but the one who ^(C2)does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.

¹⁸ Children, ^(C1)it is the last hour the end of this age; and just as you heard that the ^(C2)antichrist is coming the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him, ^(C3)even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour.^19 (C1)They went out from us seeming at first to be Christians, but they were not really of us because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out teaching false doctrine, ^(C2)so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us.²⁰ But you have an ^(C1)anointing from ^(C2)the Holy One you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit, and ^(C3)all of you know the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error.²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but ^(C1)because you do know it, and because no lie nothing false, no deception is ^(C2)of the truth.²² Who is the liar but ^(C1)the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? This is ^(C2)the antichrist the enemy and antagonist of Christ, the one who denies and consistently refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son.^23 (C1)Whoever denies and repudiates the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses and acknowledges the Son has the Father also.²⁴ As for you, let that remain in you keeping in your hearts that message of salvation which you heard ^(C1)from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you too ^(C2)will remain in the Son and in the Father forever.

The Promise Is Eternal Life

²⁶ These things I have written to you with reference to those who are trying to ^(C1)deceive you seducing you and leading you away from the truth and sound doctrine.²⁷ As for you, the ^(C1)anointing the special gift, the preparation which you received from Him remains permanently in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing ^(C2)teaches you giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit about all things, and is ^(C3)true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, ^(F1)you must remain in Him being rooted in Him, knit to Him.

²⁸ Now, ^(C1)little children (believers, dear ones), remain in Him with unwavering faith, so that when He ^(C2)appears at His return, we may have perfect ^(C3)confidence and ^(C4)not be ashamed and shrink away from Him at His ^(C5)coming.²⁹ If you know that ^(C1)He is absolutely righteous, you know for certain that everyone who practices righteousness doing what is right and conforming to God's will ^(C2)has been born of Him.