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¹ See ^(a)what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called ^(b)children of God; and so we are. The reason why ^(c)the world does not know us is that ^(d)it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are ^(e)God's children ^(f)now, and what we will be ^(g)has not yet appeared; but we know that ^(h)when he appears^{[a] (i)}we shall be like him, because ^(j)we shall see him as he is. ³ And everyone who ^(k)thus hopes in him ^(l)purifies himself as he is pure.

⁴ Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; ^(m)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that ⁽ⁿ⁾he appeared in order to ^(o)take away sins, and ^(p)in him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^(q)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷ Little children, ^(r)let no one deceive you. ^(s)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ^8 (t)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 ^(u)to destroy the works of the devil. ^9 (v)No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's^[b] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 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, ^(w)nor is the one who ^(x)does not love his brother.

Love One Another

¹¹ For ^(y)this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, ^(z)that we should love one another. ¹² We should not be like ^(aa)Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? ^(ab)Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers,^{[c] (ac)}that the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that ^(ad)we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. ^15 (ae)Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(af)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

¹⁶ By this we know love, that ^(ag)he laid down his life for us, and ^(ah)we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But ^(ai)if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet ^(aj)closes his heart against him, ^(ak)how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not ^(al)love in word or talk but in deed and ^(am)in truth.

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, ^(an)if our heart does not condemn us, ^(ao)we have confidence before God; ²² and ^(ap)whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and ^(aq)do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his commandment, ^(ar)that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and ^(as)love one another, ^(at)just as he has commanded us. ^24 (au)Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,^[d] and God^[e] in him. And ^(av)by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.