3 1 See what kind of love our Father has given to us, that we should be called children of our Father — and so we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. a a v1 Our Father's love is not abstract — it makes us his children, our truest identity. 2 Beloved, we are children of our Father now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we will see him as he is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who keeps committing sin also commits lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that he appeared to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 Whoever keeps on sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of our Father appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of our Father keeps on sinning, because his seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of our Father. 10 This is how we can tell the children of our Father apart from the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of our Father, nor is the one who does not love his brother or sister.
Love One Another as Family
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another. 12 Not like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have crossed over from death into life, because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love: that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother or sister in need, yet closes his heart against them, how does the love of our Father abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love with words or talk, but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we will know that we are of the truth, and will reassure our heart before him, 20 whenever our heart condemns us; for our Father is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before our Father; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in our Father, and our Father in them. And by this we know that he abides in us: by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.