1 John 1

1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in-we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.2 The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

3 We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.4 Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

Walk in the Light

5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him.

6 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth-we're not living what we claim.7 But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.

8 If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense.9 On the other hand, if we admit our sins-make a clean breast of them-he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.10 If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God-make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

1 John 2

1 I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus.

The Only Way to Know We're in Him

2 When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good-not only ours, but the whole world's.3 Here's how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.

4 If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words.5 But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God.6 Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.

7 My dear friends, I'm not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you've known it from day one. It's always been implicit in the Message you've heard.8 On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you-the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!

9 Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark.10 It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others.11 But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.

Loving the World

12 I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name.

13 You veterans were in on the ground floor, and know the One who started all this; you newcomers have won a big victory over the Evil One.14 You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers-such vitality and strength! God's word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.

15 Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father.16 Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him.17 The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out-but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

Antichrists Everywhere You Look

18 Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they're all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That's how we know that we're close to the end.

19 They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong.

20 But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it.21 I haven't been writing this to tell you something you don't know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn't breed lies.

22 So who is lying here? It's the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that's who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son.23 No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.

24 Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father.25 This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!

26 I've written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you.27 But they're no match for what is embedded deeply within you-Christ's anointing, no less! You don't need any of their so-called teaching. Christ's anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.

Live Deeply in Christ

28 And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.

29 Once you're convinced that he is right and righteous, you'll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God's true children.

1 John 3

1 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it-we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.

2 But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him-and in seeing him, become like him.3 All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.

4 All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God's order.5 Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program.6 No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backwards.

7 So, my dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah.8 Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways.

9 People conceived and brought into life by God don't make a practice of sin. How could they? God's seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It's not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin.10 Here's how you tell the difference between God's children and the Devil's children: The one who won't practice righteous ways isn't from God, nor is the one who won't love brother or sister. A simple test.

11 For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other.

12 We must not be like Cain, who joined the Evil One and then killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because he was deep in the practice of evil, while the acts of his brother were righteous.13 So don't be surprised, friends, when the world hates you. This has been going on a long time.

14 The way we know we've been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love is as good as dead.15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don't go together.

16 This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.17 If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.

When We Practice Real Love

18 My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love.19 This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality.20 It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

21 And friends, once that's taken care of and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God!22 We're able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what he said, doing what pleases him.23 Again, this is God's command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command.24 As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.