Children of God

1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God—and we are!† Because of this, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be was not yet made manifest. We know that if He should be made manifest, we will be like Him, for we will see Him just as He is. 3And everyone having this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4Everyone who is doing sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.† 5And you⁺ know that He appeared so that He should take away sins;† and in Him there is no sin. 6Everyone who is remaining in Him does not sin; everyone who is sinning has not seen Him, nor has he known Him.

7Little children,† let no one lead you⁺ astray; the one doing righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8The one doing sin is of the devil, because the devil is sinning from the beginning. For this the Son of God was made manifest, so that He might destroy the works of the devil.

9Everyone having been born of God does not do sin, because His seed remains in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. 10In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: everyone not doing righteousness is not of God, and the one not loving his brother.

Love One Another
(John 13:31–35; Romans 12:9–13)

11For this is the message that you⁺ heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his works were evil, but those of his brother were righteous. 13And† do not marvel, brothers,† if the world hates you⁺.

14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love our brothers. The one not loving† remains in death. 15Everyone hating his brother is a murderer; and you⁺ know that any murderer does not have eternal life remaining in him.

16In this we have known love, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17Now whoever may have the goods of the world, and may see his brother having need, and might shut his heart from him, how does the love of God remain in him?

18Little children,† may we love not in word nor in tongue, but in work and in truth. 19And in this we will know that we are of the truth, and we will assure† our heart before Him, 20that if our heart may condemn us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.

21Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have confidence toward God, 22and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and we do the things pleasing before Him. 23And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another, just as He gave the commandment to us.† 24And the one keeping His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. And in this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit whom He gave to us.

Footnotes:

1 BYZ and TR do not include and we are!
4 Or is violation of the Law
5 BYZ and TR our sins
7 NA28 Young children in training
13 BYZ, TR, and some CT do not include And
13 BYZ and TR my brothers
14 BYZ and TR include his brother.
18 BYZ and TR My little children
19 BYZ and TR we know… and we assure
23 BYZ just as He commanded