Study Desk

But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. But those who are not from God do not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit that is true and the spirit that is false.

No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is made perfect in us.

If people say, "I love God," but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen.

Jesus Christ is the One who came by water and blood. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit says that this is true, because the Spirit is the truth.

We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important, and he has told us the truth about his own Son.

Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Doing wrong is always sin, but there is sin that does not lead to eternal death.

We know that we belong to God, but the Evil One controls the whole world.

And now, dear lady, this is not a new command but is the same command we have had from the beginning. I ask you that we all love each other.

Be careful yourselves that you do not lose everything you have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.

Anyone who goes beyond Christ's teaching and does not continue to follow only his teaching does not have God. But whoever continues to follow the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

I have many things to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so we can be full of joy.

I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be their leader, will not listen to us.

So if I come, I will talk about what Diotrephes is doing, about how he lies and says evil things about us. But more than that, he refuses to accept the other brothers and sisters; he even stops those who do want to accept them and puts them out of the church.

My dear friend, do not follow what is bad; follow what is good. The one who does good belongs to God. But the one who does evil has never known God.

I have many things I want to write you, but I do not want to use pen and ink.

Dear friends, I wanted very much to write you about the salvation we all share. But I felt the need to write you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard for the faith that was given the holy people of God once and for all time.

I want to remind you of some things you already know: Remember that the Lord saved his people by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. But later he destroyed all those who did not believe.

And remember the angels who did not keep their place of power but left their proper home. The Lord has kept these angels in darkness, bound with everlasting chains, to be judged on the great day.

But these people speak against things they do not understand. And what they do know, by feeling, as dumb animals know things, are the very things that destroy them.