Jesus Christ is our Advocate

1My dear children, I am writing these things to you so that you not sin; if someone does sin, we have an Advocate in the Father's presence, righteous Jesus Christ—

2also, He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; ¹⁰not concerning ours only but also concerning those of the whole world. ¹¹

We must keep His commandments

3Now by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4He who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the Truth is not in him. ¹²

5But whoever keeps His Word, God's love has truly been perfected in him: by this we know that we are in Him.

6He who claims to be abiding in Him really needs to act just like He acted. ¹³

An old/new commandment

7Brothers, ¹⁴I am not writing a new commandment to you but an old one that you have had from the beginning; this old commandment is the word that you have heard from the beginning.

8Again, I am writing a new commandment to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness ¹⁵is passing away and the true Light is already shining.

9He who claims to be in the Light while hating his brother is in the darkness until now.

10He who keeps on loving his brother is staying in the Light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him.

11But he who keeps on hating his brother is in the darkness and keeps walking in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

A bit of poetry

12Dear children, I am writing to you because your sins have been forgiven for His name's sake ¹⁶

13—fathers, I am writing to you because you have come to know Him ¹⁷who is from the beginning; young men, I am writing to you because you have overcome the evil one; ¹⁸children, I am writing to you because you have come to know the Father—

14fathers, I have written to you because you have come to know Him who is from the beginning; young men, I have written to you because you are strong, and the Word of God remains in you, ¹⁹and you have overcome the evil one.

We must not love the world

15Do not love the world, neither the things in the world; ²⁰if anyone loves the world, the Father's love is not in him.

16Because everything in the world—the craving of the flesh and the craving of the eyes and the pretension of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. ²¹

17The world, with its craving, is passing away, but he who does God's will remains forever. ²²

A bunch of little antichrists

18Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared, by which we know that it is the last hour. ²³

19They went out from us but were not of us, ²⁴for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us—they left so that they might be exposed, that none of them were of us.

20You have an Anointing from the Holy One and understand all. ²⁵

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. ²⁶

We must abide in the truth

22Who is the liar ²⁷but the one denying that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, the one denying the Father and the Son.

23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either. ²⁸

24So you, let what you have heard from the beginning abide in you; if what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Father and in the Son.

25This is the promise that He Himself promised us—the eternal life.

26I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you;

27but really, you do not need anyone to teach you, because the Anointing that you received from Him abides in you; further, as the same Anointing teaches you concerning all things, ²⁹and it is true and no lie—well just as He has taught you, you will abide in Him.

Remember the accounting at our Lord's return

28And now, dear children, do abide in Him, so that whenever He appears we ³⁰may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

29If you have understood that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been begotten by Him. ³¹