1This letter is from John, the elder①. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children②, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth—/ ①Greek From the elder ②Or the church God has chosen and its membersG4245G1588G2959G2532G846G5043G3739G1473G25G1722G225G2532G3756G1473G3441G235G2532G3956G1097G2252because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever.G1223G225G3588G3306G1722G2254G2532G2071G3326G2257G1519G1653Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.G5485G2071G3326G5216G1656G1515G3844G2316G3962G2532G3844G2962G2424G5547G5207G3962G1722G225G2532G264How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.G5463G3029G3754G2147G1537G4675G5043G4043G1722G225G2531G2983G1785G3844G39625I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.G2532G3568G2065G4571G2959G3756G5613G1125G1125G2537G1785G4671G235G3739G2192G575G746G2443G25G2406Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.G2532G3778G2076G26G2443G4043G2596G846G1785G3778G2076G1785G2443G2531G191G575G746G4043G1722G8467I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.G3754G4183G4108G1525G1519G2889G3588G3670G3361G2424G5547G2064G1722G4561G3778G2076G4108G2532G5008Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.G991G1438G3363G622G3363G3739G2038G235G618G4134G34089Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.G3956G3845G2532G3306G3361G1722G1322G5547G2192G3756G2316G3306G1722G1322G5547G3778G2192G2532G3962G2532G520710If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don't invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement.G1536G2064G1536G5100G4314G5209G2532G5342G3756G5026G1322G2983G846G3361G1519G3614G2532G3361G3004G846G546311Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.G1063G3004G846G5463G2841G846G4190G204112I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.G2192G4183G1125G5213G1014G3756G1223G5489G2532G3188G235G1679G2064G4314G5209G2532G2980G4750G4314G4750G2443G2257G5479G5600G413713Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God.G5043G4675G1588G79G782G4571G281
1This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth.G4245G27G1050G3739G1473G25G1722G2252Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.G27G2172G4012G3956G4571G2137G2532G5198G2531G4675G5590G21373Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth.G1063G5463G3029G80G2064G2532G3140G225G4675G2531G4771G4043G1722G2254I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.G2192G3756G3186G5130G5479G2443G191G1699G5043G4043G1722G2255Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you.G27G4160G4103G3739G1437G2038G1519G80G2532G1519G35816They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God.G3739G3140G4675G26G1799G1577G3739G4311G516G2316G516G4160G25737For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers.G1063G5228G846G3686G5228G1831G2983G3367G575G14848So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.G2249G3767G3784G618G5108G2443G1096G4904G2259I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us.G1125G1577G235G1361G3588G5383G846G1926G2248G375610When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church.G1223G5124G1437G2064G5279G846G2041G3739G4160G5396G2248G4190G3056G2532G3361G714G1909G5125G3777G1926G846G1926G80G2532G2967G1014G2532G1544G1537G157711Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.G27G3401G3361G2556G235G18G15G2076G1537G2316G1161G2554G3708G3756G3708G231612Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius, as does the truth itself. We ourselves can say the same for him, and you know we speak the truth.G1216G3140G5259G3956G2532G5259G225G846G1161G2532G2249G3140G2532G1492G3754G2257G3141G2076G22713I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to write it with pen and ink.G2192G4183G1125G235G2309G3756G1223G3188G2532G2563G1125G467114For I hope to see you soon, and then we will talk face to face.G1161G1679G1492G2112G1492G4571G2532G2980G4750G4314G4750G1515G4671G5384G782G4571G782G5384G2596G368615Peace be with you. Your friends here send you their greetings. Please give my personal greetings to each of our friends there.
1This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.G2455G1401G2424G5547G1161G80G2385G37G1722G2316G3962G2532G5083G2424G5547G28222May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.G1656G5213G2532G1515G2532G26G41293Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.G27G4160G3956G4710G1125G5213G4012G2839G4991G2192G318G2192G1125G5213G3870G1864G4102G530G3860G404I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God's marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.G1063G5100G444G3921G3588G4270G3819G4270G1519G5124G2917G765G3346G5485G2257G2316G1519G766G2532G720G3441G1203G2316G2532G2257G2962G2424G55475So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful.G1014G1161G5279G5209G5279G5209G530G1492G5124G3754G2962G4982G2992G1537G1093G125G1208G622G4100G33616And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.G5037G32G5083G3361G1438G746G235G620G2398G3613G5083G126G1199G5259G2217G1519G2920G3173G22507And don't forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God's judgment.G5613G4670G2532G1116G2532G4172G4012G846G3664G5125G5158G1608G2532G565G3694G2087G4561G4295G1164G5254G1349G166G44428In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.G3668G3305G2532G3778G1797G3392G3303G4561G1161G114G2963G1161G987G13919But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses' body.)G1161G3413G743G3753G1252G1228G1256G4012G4983G3475G5111G3756G2018G988G2920G235G2036G2962G2008G467110But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.G1161G3778G987G3745G3303G1492G3756G1161G3745G1987G5447G5613G249G2226G1722G5125G535111What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.G3759G846G3754G4198G3598G2535G2532G1632G4106G903G3408G2532G622G485G287912When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord's love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.G3778G1526G4694G1722G5216G26G4910G5213G4165G1438G870G3507G504G4064G5259G417G1186G5352G175G1364G599G161013They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.G66G2949G2281G1890G1438G152G4107G792G3739G5083G2217G4655G1519G16514Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, "Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy onesG1161G1802G2532G1442G575G76G4395G5125G3004G2400G2962G2064G1722G3461G846G4015to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him."G4160G2920G2596G3956G2532G1827G3956G765G846G4012G3956G846G763G2041G3739G764G2532G4012G3956G4642G3739G765G268G2980G2596G84616These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.G3778G1526G1113G3202G4198G2596G846G1939G2532G846G4750G2980G5246G4383G2296G5484G562217But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said.G1161G27G3415G5210G4487G3588G4280G5259G652G2257G2962G2424G554718They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.G3754G3754G3004G5213G2071G1703G1722G2078G5550G4198G2596G1438G763G193919These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God's Spirit in them.G3778G1526G592G1438G5591G2192G3361G415120But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,G1161G5210G27G2026G1438G5216G40G4102G4336G1722G40G415121and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.G5083G1438G1722G26G2316G4327G1656G2257G2962G2424G5547G1519G166G222222And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.G2532G3303G3739G1653G125223Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.G1161G3739G4982G1722G5401G726G1537G4442G3404G2532G5509G4695G575G456124Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.G1161G1410G5442G5209G846G679G2532G2476G299G2714G846G1391G1722G2025All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.G3441G4680G2316G2257G4990G1391G2532G3172G2904G2532G1849G2532G3568G2532G1519G3956G165G281
Dublin, OH
, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.G2532
