| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. | 1See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. |
| 2Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. | 2Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. |
| 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure. | 3And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. |
| 4Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness. | 4Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. |
| 5But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. | 5And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. |
| 6No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him. | 6Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. |
| 7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. | 7Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. |
| 8The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. | 8But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. |
| 9Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. | 9Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. |
| 10By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. | 10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. Love One Another |
| 11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. | 11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. |
| 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous. | 12We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. |
| 13So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. | 13So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. |
| 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. | 14If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. |
| 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. | 15Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. |
| 16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. | 16We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. |
| 17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? | 17If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? |
| 18Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. | 18Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. |
| 19And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: | 19Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. |
| 20Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. | 20Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. |
| 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, | 21Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. |
| 22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. | 22And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please 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 commanded us. | 23And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. |
| 24Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us. | 24Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. |
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