1My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocatea with the Father — Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2He himself is the atoning sacrificea a for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.b

God’s Commands

3This is how we knowa that we know him: if we keep his commands.b 4The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoever keeps his word,a truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him:b 6The one who says he remains in hima should walk just as he walked.

7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new commanda but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the wordb you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing awaya and the true lightb is already shining.c 9The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sistera is in the darkness until now. 10The one who loves his brother or sistera remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.A 11But the one who hates his brother or sistera is in the darkness, walks in the darkness,b and doesn’t know where he’s going,c because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Reasons for Writing

12I am writing to you, little children,

since your sins have been forgiven

on account of his name.a

13I am writing to you, fathers,

because you have come to know

the one who is from the beginning.a

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have conquered the evil one.b

14I have written to you, children,

because you have come to know the Father.

I have written to you, fathers,

because you have come to know

the one who is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men,

because you are strong,

God’s worda remains in you,

and you have conquered the evil one.

A Warning about the World

15Do not love the worlda or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh,a the lust of the eyes,b and the pridec in one’s possessions — is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17And the world with its lust is passing away,a but the one who does the will of Godb remains forever.c

The Last Hour

18Children, it is the last hour.a And as you have heard that antichristb is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

20But you have an anointinga from the Holy One,b and all of you know the truth.A 21I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?a This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father;a he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.b

Remaining with God

24What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Sona and in the Father.b 25And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.a

26I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all thingsa and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you,A remain in him.b

God’s Children

28So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appearsa we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.b 29If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is righta has been born of him.b