3See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children - and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God.G1492G4217G26G3962G1325G2254G2443G2564G5043G2316G1223G5124G2889G1097G2248G3756G3754G1097G846G37562My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.G27G3568G2070G5043G2316G2532G5319G3768G5319G5101G2071G1161G1492G3754G1437G5319G2071G3664G846G3754G3700G846G2531G20763Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.G2532G3956G2192G5026G1680G1909G846G48G1438G2531G1565G2076G534Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the law.G3956G4160G266G4160G458G2532G458G2532G266G2076G4585You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.G2532G1492G3754G1565G5319G2443G142G2257G266G2532G1722G846G2076G3756G2666So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin; but whoever continues to sin has never seen him or known him.G3956G3306G1722G846G264G3756G3956G264G3708G3756G3708G846G3761G1097G8467Let no one deceive you, my children! Whoever does what is right is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.G5040G4105G3367G4105G5209G4160G1343G2076G1342G2531G1565G2076G13428Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this very reason, to destroy what the Devil had done.G4160G266G2076G1537G1228G3754G1228G264G575G746G1519G5124G5207G2316G5319G2443G3089G2041G12289Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.G3956G1080G1537G2316G4160G3756G266G3754G846G4690G3306G1722G846G2532G3756G1410G264G3754G1080G1537G231610Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.G1722G5129G5043G2316G2076G5318G2532G5043G1228G3956G4160G3361G1343G2076G3756G1537G2316G2532G25G3361G846G80
Love One Another
11The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another.G3754G3778G2076G31G3739G191G575G746G2443G25G24012We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right.G3756G2531G2535G2258G1537G4190G2532G4969G846G80G2532G5484G5101G4969G846G3754G846G2041G2258G4190G1161G846G80G134213So do not be surprised, my friends, if the people of the world hate you.G2296G3361G3450G80G1487G2889G3404G520914We know that we have left death and come over into life; we know it because we love others. Those who do not love are still under the power of death.G1492G3754G2249G3327G1537G2288G1519G2222G3754G25G80G25G3361G80G3306G1722G228815Those who hate others are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life in them.G3956G3404G846G80G2076G443G2532G1492G3754G3756G3956G443G2192G166G2222G3306G1722G84616This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others!G1722G5129G1097G26G3754G1565G5087G846G5590G5228G2257G2532G2249G3784G5087G5590G5228G8017If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God?G1161G3739G302G2192G2889G979G2532G2334G846G80G2192G5532G2532G2808G846G4698G575G846G4459G3306G26G2316G1722G84618My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.G3450G5040G25G3361G25G3056G3366G1100G235G2041G2532G225
Courage before God
19This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God's presence.G2532G1722G5129G1097G3754G2070G1537G225G2532G3982G2257G2588G1715G84620If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything.G3754G1437G2257G2588G2607G3754G2316G2076G3187G2257G2588G2532G1097G395621And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God's presence.G27G3362G2257G2588G2607G2257G3362G2192G3954G4314G231622We receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.G2532G3739G1437G154G2983G3844G846G3754G5083G846G1785G2532G4160G701G846G179923What he commands is that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as Christ commanded us.G2532G3778G2076G846G1785G2443G4100G3686G846G5207G2424G5547G2532G25G240G2531G1325G2254G178524Those who obey God's commands live in union with God and God lives in union with them. And because of the Spirit that God has given us we know that God lives in union with us.G2532G5083G846G1785G3306G1722G846G2532G846G1722G846G2532G1722G5129G1097G3754G3306G1722G2254G1537G4151G3739G1325G2254