1 John 2

God Is Light, So We Must Walk in the Light

5 Nowt this is the gospelt messaget we have heard from himt and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.ts6 If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walkingts in the darkness, we are lying and not practicingt the truth.7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleansest us from all sin.ts8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin,t we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous,t forgivingt us our sins and cleansingt us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.1 (My little children,s I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.ts) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocatet with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,t

2 and he himself is the atoning sacrificets for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.t

Keeping God’s Commandments

3 Nowts by this we know that we have come to know God:t if we keep his commandments.4 The one who says “I have come to know God”t and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.5 But whoever obeys hist word, truly in this persont the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him.

6 The one who says he residests in Godt ought himself to walkt just as Jesust walked.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning.s The old commandment is the word that you have alreadyt heard.8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in himt and in you, becauset the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.s9 The one who says he is in the light but still hatest his fellow Christiant is still in the darkness.10 The one who loves his fellow Christiant resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.t

11 But the one who hates his fellow Christians is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.s

Words of Reassurance

12 I am writing to you,s little children, thatt your sins have been forgiven because of hist name.13 I am writing to you, fathers, thatt you have known him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, thatt you have conquered the evil one.s

14 I have written to you, children, thatt you have known the Father.s I have written to you, fathers, thatt you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, thatt you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,16 because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions)ts is not from the Father, but is from the world.

17 And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remainst forever.

Warning About False Teachers

18 Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichristss have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour.

19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remainedt with us. Butt they went out from ust to demonstratet that all of them do not belong to us.s
20 Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.ss21 I have not written to you thatt you do not know the truth, but thatt you do know it, and thatt no lie is of the truth.22 Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christt? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son.

23 Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.s
24 As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remaint in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.25 Now thist is the promise that het himself made tot us: eternal life.s

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

27 Now as for you, the anointings that you received from hims residest in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as hiss anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just ast itt has taught you, you residet in him.

Children of God

28 And now, little children, remaint in him,s so that whent he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he comes back.ts

29 If you know that he is righteous, you also knowt that everyone who practices righteousness has been fatheredt by him.

1 John 2

1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.

8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

12 I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

13 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.

14 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.

17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Warning Against Antichrists

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son.

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

25 And this is what he promised us–even eternal life.
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Children of God

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.