| New American Standard Bible | ►► |
Christ Is Our Advocate
1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an [a]Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2and He Himself is the [b]propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
5but whoever follows His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:
6the one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.
7Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.
8[c]On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
9The one who says that he is in the Light and yet hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now.
10The one who loves his brother and sister remains in the Light, and there is nothing in him to cause stumbling.
11But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you on account of His name.
13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
14I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Do Not Love the World
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.
18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
19They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that [d]it would be evident that they all are not of us.
20[e]But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and [f]because no lie is of the truth.
22Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the [g]Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.