1 John 2

Living in the light

1My little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you don’t sin. But if you do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2He is God’s way of dealing with our sins, not only ours but the sins of the whole world. 3This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. 4The one who claims, “I know him,” while not keeping his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. 5But the love of God is truly perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know we are in him. 6The one who claims to remain in him ought to live in the same way as he lived.

7Dear friends, I’m not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message you heard. 8On the other hand, 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 already shines. 9The one who claims to be in the light while hating a brother or sister is in the darkness even now. 10The person loving a brother and sister stays in the light, and there is nothing in the light that causes a person to stumble. 11But the person who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and lives in the darkness, and doesn’t know where to go because the darkness blinds the eyes.

Motivations for writing

12Little children, I’m writing to you because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus’ name. 13Parents, I’m writing to you because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. Young people, I’m writing to you because you have conquered the evil one. 14Little children, I write to you because you know the Father. Parents, I write to you because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. Young people, I write to you because you are strong, the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

Warning about the world

15Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. 16Everything that is in the world—the craving for whatever the body feels, the craving for whatever the eyes see and the arrogant pride in one’s possessions—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.

Remaining in the truth

18Little children, it is the last hour. Just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they were not really part of us. If they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. But by going out from us, they showed they all are not part of us. 20But you have an anointing from the holy one, and all of you know the truth. 21I don’t write to you because you don’t know the truth but because you know it. You know that no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar? Isn’t it the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This person is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

24As for you, what you heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you will also remain in relationship to the Son and in the Father. 25This is the promise that he himself gave us: eternal life. 26I write these things to you about those who are attempting to deceive you. 27As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains on you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you the truth. But since his anointing teaches you about all things (it’s true and not a lie), remain in relationship to him just as he taught you.

Remaining until Jesus appears

28And now, little children, remain in relationship to Jesus, so that when he appears we can have confidence and not be ashamed in front of him when he comes. 29If you know that he is righteous, you also know that every person who practices righteousness is born from him.

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1 John 2: CEB

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