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Children of God Love One Another

¹ See ^(F1)(C1)how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called ^(C2)children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because ^(C3)it did not know Him.^2 (C1)Beloved, now we are ^(C2)children of God, and ^(C3)it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He ^(C4)appears, we will be ^(C5)like Him, because we will ^(C6)see Him just as He is.³ And everyone who has this ^(C1)hope fixed on Him ^(C2)purifies himself, just as He is pure.

⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and ^(C1)sin is lawlessness.⁵ You know that He ^(C1)appeared in order to ^(C2)take away sins; and ^(C3)in Him there is no sin.⁶ No one who abides in Him ^(C1)sins; no one who sins has seen Him or ^(F1)(C2)knows Him.^7 (C1)Little children, make sure no one ^(C2)deceives you; ^(C3)the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;⁸ the one who practices sin is ^(C1)of the devil; for the devil ^(F1)has sinned from the beginning. ^(C2)The Son of God ^(C3)appeared for this purpose, ^(C4)to destroy the works of the devil.⁹ No one who is ^(F1)(C1)born of God ^(C2)practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is ^(F1)born of God.¹⁰ By this the ^(C1)children of God and the ^(C2)children of the devil are obvious: ^(F1)anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who ^(C3)does not love his ^(C4)brother.

^11 (C1)For this is the message ^(C2)which you have heard from the beginning, ^(C3)that we should love one another;¹² not as ^(C1)Cain, who was of ^(C2)the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because ^(C3)his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.

¹³ Do not be surprised, brethren, if ^(C1)the world hates you.¹⁴ We know that we have ^(C1)passed out of death into life, ^(C2)because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.¹⁵ Everyone who ^(C1)hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that ^(C2)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.¹⁶ We know love by this, that ^(C1)He laid down His life for us; and ^(C2)we ought to lay down our lives for the ^(C3)brethren.¹⁷ But ^(C1)whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and ^(C2)closes his ^(F1)heart ^(F2)against him, ^(C3)how does the love of God abide in him?^18 (C1)Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and ^(C2)truth.¹⁹ We will know by this that we are ^(C1)of the truth, and will ^(F1)assure our heart before Him^20 (F1)in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.^21 (C1)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have ^(C2)confidence ^(F1)before God;²² and ^(C1)whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we ^(C2)keep His commandments and do ^(C3)the things that are pleasing in His sight.

²³ This is His commandment, that we ^(F1)(C1)believe in ^(C2)the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as ^(C3)He ^(F2)commanded us.²⁴ The one who ^(C1)keeps His commandments ^(C2)abides in Him, and He in him. ^(C3)We know by this that ^(C4)He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.