4Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

5You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins,3:5 Other mss read our sins3:5 Jn 1:29; 1Co 15:3; Heb 10:4; 1Pt 2:24 and there is no sin in him.3:5 2Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 1Pt 2:21–22; 3:18; 1Jn 2:29

6Everyone who remains in him3:6 Jn 15:4–7; 1Jn 2:6,24,27–28; 3:24; 4:13,15–16 does not sin;3:6 Or not keep on sinning3:6 Rm 6:11–12; 1Jn 2:29; 5:18 everyone who sins3:6 Or who keeps on sinning has not seen him or known him.

7Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

8The one who commits3:8 Or practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God3:8 Mk 1:11 was revealed3:8 Jn 21:1; 2Co 4:11; 1Pt 5:4; 1Jn 5:20 for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.

9Everyone who has been born of God3:9 1Jn 2:29 does not sin,3:9 Or not practice sin because his seed3:9 1Pt 1:23 remains in him; he is not able to sin,3:9 Or to keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

10This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.3:10 1Jn 2:10; 3:14–17; 4:20–21

13Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates3:13 Jn 17:14 you.

14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.3:14 Jn 8:51

15Everyone who hates his brother or sister3:15 1Jn 2:9,11; 4:20 is a murderer,3:15 Mt 5:21–22; Jn 8:44 and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

16This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life3:16 Jn 10:11,14,17–18; 13:37–38; 15:13 for us.3:16 Is 53:10; Mk 10:45 We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.3:16 Mk 8:34–35; 1Co 11:1; Php 2:5–8

17If anyone has this world’s goods3:17 Mk 12:44; Lk 15:12; 1Jn 2:16 and sees a fellow believer3:17 Lit sees his brother or sister in need3:17 Ac 2:45 but withholds compassion3:17 2Co 7:15 from him — how does God’s love reside in him?3:17 Jms 2:15–16; 1Jn 2:5

18Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.3:18 Mt 7:21; Jn 13:34–35; 15:12–17; Jms 1:22–25; 2:14–17

19This is how we will know that we belong to the truth3:19 Jn 14:6; 2Co 11:10; 3Jn 3 and will reassure our hearts before him

20whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.3:20 Ps 139:6; Pr 2:6; Jn 14:28

21Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God

22and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands3:22 Mk 7:8; Jn 14:15; 1Jn 2:3; 5:2 and do what is pleasing in his sight.

23Now this is his command: that we believe in the name3:23 Ps 33:21; Is 50:10; Jn 1:12; 3:18; 1Jn 5:13 of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.

24The one who keeps his commands remains in him,3:24 Lk 11:13; Jn 15:4–7; Ac 5:32; 15:8 and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us3:24 Jn 6:56 is from the Spirit3:24 Rm 8:9–16 he has given us.