3:1 Try and grasp the degree of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God— that’s what we are! And because of this, the world does not know us and did not know him.

3:2 Loved ones, we are children of God now, but what we will be has not yet appeared. Yet whenever he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

3:3 And all who have set their hope on him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

3:4 Everyone who fails is also a lawbreaker; failing is lawlessness.

3:5 As you know, that One made his appearance for the purpose of taking away our failures, and there is no failing in him.

3:6 So everyone who remains in him does not fail, but whoever does fail has not seen him or known him.

3:7 Little ones, let no one deceive you: the one who does justice is righteous, in the same way that the One is righteous.

3:8 Conversely, the one who fails comes from the Slanderer, for the Slanderer has been failing from the beginning. This is why the God-Man appeared: to nullify the Slanderer’s works.

3:9 A child of God does not keep failing, because his very substance remains in them; they who are God’s children cannot keep failing.

3:10 So this is how you can tell the children of God from the children of the Slanderer: everyone who does injustice and who does not love others is not of God.

3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: we must love each other.

3:12 We must not be like Cain, who followed the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he do it? Because his works were evil but his brother’s were righteous.

3:13 So don’t be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

3:14 We know that we have moved out of death and into life because we love others. But the one without love remains in death.

3:15 Whoever hates others is a murderer, and you know that eternal life cannot remain in a murderer.

3:16 This is how we have known love: the One laid down his life for our sakes. So also we ought to lay down our lives for others.

3:17 Now if anyone has an income in this world yet sees someone in need and is cold-hearted, how can the love of God remain in them?

3:18 Little ones, we must not only say we love, but put it into genuine action. That is how we will know we are of the truth.

3:19 And we will be confident in his presence,

3:20 because even if we feel guilty, God knows us better than we know ourselves.

3:21 Even if we don’t feel guilty we can still come before God

3:22 and boldly ask for whatever we want— provided we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

3:23 And this is his command: to trust in the Name of his Son Jesus the Anointed, and to love each other.

3:24 That is his command, so whoever keeps it remains in him, and he in them. We know he remains in us by the Spirit he gives us.