Holman Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

1My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the Righteous One.

1My 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.

2He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

2He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

3This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.

3And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.

4The one who says, "I have come to know Him," yet doesn't keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

4If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

5But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him:

5But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.

6The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.

6Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. A New Commandment

7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the message you have heard.

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.

8Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

8Yet 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.

9The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

9If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.

10The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

10Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.

11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he's going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

11But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven because of Jesus' name.

12I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

13I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the One who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have had victory over the evil one.

13I 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.

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 word remains in you, and you have had victory over the evil one.

14I 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. Do Not Love This World

15Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

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.

16For everything that belongs to the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle--is not from the Father, but is from the world.

16For 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.

17And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God's will remains forever.

17And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. Warning about Antichrists

18Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, "Antichrist is coming," even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour.

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.

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.

19These 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.

20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.

20But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.

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.

21So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

22Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son.

22And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.

23No one who denies the Son can have the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.

23Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.

24So 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.

25And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

25And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

26I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

26I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.

27The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as He has taught you, remain in Him.

27But 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. Living as Children of God

28So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

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.

29If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.

29Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.