1We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.G3739G2258G575G746G3739G191G3739G3708G2257G3788G3739G2300G2532G2257G5495G5584G4012G3056G22222This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.G2532G2222G5319G2532G3708G2532G3140G2532G518G5213G166G2222G3748G2258G4314G3962G2532G5319G22543We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.G3739G3708G2532G191G518G5213G2443G5210G2532G2192G2842G3326G2257G2532G2251G2842G1161G3326G3962G2532G3326G846G5207G2424G55474We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.G2532G5023G1125G5213G2443G5216G5479G5600G4137
Living in the Light
5This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.G3778G2532G2076G1860G3739G191G575G846G2532G312G5213G3754G2316G2076G5457G2532G1722G846G2076G3756G4653G37626So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.G1437G2036G3754G2192G2842G3326G846G2532G4043G1722G4655G5574G2532G4160G3756G2257But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.G1161G1437G4043G1722G5457G5613G846G2076G1722G5457G2192G2842G3326G240G2532G129G2424G5547G846G5207G2511G2248G575G3956G2668If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.G1437G2036G3754G2192G3756G266G4105G1438G2532G225G2076G3756G1722G22549But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.G1437G3670G2257G266G2076G4103G2532G1342G2443G863G2254G266G2532G2511G2248G575G3956G9310If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.G1437G2036G3754G264G3756G264G4160G846G5583G2532G846G3056G2076G3756G1722G2254
2My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.G3450G5040G5023G1125G5213G3363G264G3363G2532G1437G5100G264G2192G3875G4314G3962G2424G5547G13422He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.G2532G846G2076G2434G4012G2257G266G1161G3756G4012G2251G3440G235G2532G4012G3650G28893And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.G2532G1722G5129G1097G3754G1097G846G1437G5083G846G17854If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.G3004G1097G846G2532G5083G3361G846G1785G2076G5583G2532G225G2076G3756G1722G51295But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.G1161G3739G302G5083G846G3056G1722G5129G230G5048G26G2316G5048G1722G5129G1097G3754G2070G1722G8466Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.G3004G3306G1722G846G3784G846G2532G3779G4043G2531G1565G4043
A New Commandment
7Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.G80G1125G3756G2537G1785G5213G235G3820G1785G3739G2192G575G746G3820G1785G2076G3056G3739G191G575G7468Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.G3825G2537G1785G1125G5213G3739G2076G227G1722G846G2532G1722G5213G3754G4653G3855G2532G228G5457G2235G53169If anyone claims, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.G3004G1511G1722G5457G2532G3404G846G80G2076G1722G4653G2193G73710Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.G25G846G80G3306G1722G5457G2532G2076G3756G4625G1722G84611But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.G1161G3404G846G80G2076G1722G4653G2532G4043G1722G4653G2532G1492G3756G4226G5217G3754G4653G5186G846G378812I am writing to you who are God's children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.G1125G5213G5040G3754G266G863G5213G1223G846G3686G122313I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.G1125G5213G3962G3754G1097G575G746G1125G5213G3495G3754G3528G4190G1125G5213G3813G3754G1097G396214I have written to you who are God's children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God's word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.G1125G5213G3962G3754G1097G575G746G1125G5213G3495G3754G2075G2478G2532G3056G2316G3306G1722G5213G2532G3528G4190
Do Not Love This World
15Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.G25G3361G2889G3366G1722G2889G1437G5100G25G2889G26G3962G2076G3756G1722G84616For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.G3754G3956G1722G2889G1939G4561G2532G1939G3788G2532G212G979G2076G3756G1537G3962G235G2076G1537G288917And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.G2532G2889G3855G2532G1939G846G1161G4160G2307G2316G3306G1519G165
Warning about Antichrists
18Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.G3813G2076G2078G5610G2532G2531G191G3754G500G2064G2532G3568G1096G4183G500G3606G1097G3754G2076G2078G561019These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.G1831G1537G2257G235G2258G3756G1537G2257G1063G1487G2258G1537G2257G302G3306G3326G2257G235G2443G5319G3754G1526G3756G3956G1537G225720But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.G2532G5210G2192G5545G575G40G2532G1492G395621So I am writing to you not because you don't know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.G1125G3756G1125G5213G3754G1492G3756G225G235G3754G1492G846G2532G3754G3956G3756G5579G2076G1537G22522And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.G5101G2076G5583G1508G720G3754G2424G2076G3756G5547G3778G2076G500G720G3962G2532G520723Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.G3956G720G5207G2192G3761G3962G3670G5207G2192G3962G253224So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.G3306G3767G3306G1722G5213G3739G5210G191G575G746G1437G3739G191G575G746G3306G1722G5213G5210G2532G3306G1722G5207G2532G1722G396225And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.G2532G3778G2076G1860G3739G846G1861G2254G166G222226I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.G5023G1125G5213G4012G4105G520927But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.G2532G5545G3739G5210G2983G575G846G3306G1722G5213G2532G5532G2192G3756G2443G5100G1321G5209G235G5613G846G5545G1321G5209G4012G3956G2532G2076G227G2532G2076G3756G5579G2532G2531G1321G5209G3306G1722G846
Living as Children of God
28And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.G2532G3568G5040G3306G1722G846G2443G3752G5319G2192G3954G2532G3361G153G575G846G1722G846G395229Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God's children.G1437G1492G3754G2076G1342G1097G3754G3956G4160G1343G1080G1537G846
36[For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.] Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.H5329H1732H5650H3068H6588H7563H5002H7130H3820H6343H430H58692In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.H2505H5869H5771H4672H81303Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good.H1697H6310H205H4820H2308H7919H31904They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.H2803H205H4904H3320H1870H2896H3988H74515Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.H2617H3068H8064H530H78346Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.H6666H410H2042H4941H7227H8415H3068H3467H120H9297How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.H3368H2617H430H1121H120H2620H6738H36718You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.H7301H1880H1004H8248H5158H57309For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.H4726H2416H216H7200H21610Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts.H4900H2617H3045H6666H3477H382011Don't let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around.H7272H1346H935H3027H7563H511012Look! Those who do evil have fallen! They are thrown down, never to rise again.H6466H205H5307H1760H3201H6965
Dublin, OH
, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.G3739
