1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2And he himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
4The one who says, “I have come to know him,” yet does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person.
5But whoever keeps his word, in this one truly the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him:
6The one who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just as that one walked.
7Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you heard.
8Again, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
9The one who says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is in the darkness until now.
10The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for the sake of his name.
13I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.
14I wrote to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16Because all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
17And the world is passing away, along with its desire; but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
18Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; from this we know that it is the last hour.
19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them are of us.
20And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
23Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
24As for you, let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
25And this is the promise that he himself promised us: eternal life.
26These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.
27As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as his anointing teaches you concerning all things—and it is true and is not a lie—and just as it taught you, remain in him.
28And now, little children, remain in him, so that when he is made manifest we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming.
29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone also who does righteousness has been born of him.
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