1I am writing this to you as my dear children so that you will not deliberately sin against Him. However, if anyone does sin, we have Someone who speaks to the Father in our defence, Jesus Christ – the One who is always right.2He is the sacrifice that was offered to cleanse us from sin and restore us to unity with God. He offered Himself, not only as the punishment for our sins but also for the sins of everyone in the world.Obey His Word3We are sure that we have really come to know Him if we obey His commands.4The man who says, "Yes, I know Him", but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth does not live in him.5-6But if anyone obeys His Word, God's love is truly expressed and fulfilled in him. This demonstrates that we truly live in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him has to demonstrate this by walking as Jesus did.7Dear friends, I am not telling you anything new. This is not a new command that you have never heard before. It is the same message, with the same command, that you have heard already.8At the same time I am giving you a new command. The truth of this command is to be seen in Him and also in you, because the spiritual darkness of sin and disobedience to God is passing away and the true Light is already shining into our hearts and lives.Love your brother9Anyone who claims to be living in that Light but has no love for his brother is still in spiritual darkness.10On the contrary, whoever loves his brother is living in the light of God's truth and there is nothing in him that will cause him to stumble in his walk with the Lord.11However, whoever has no love for his brother is truly in spiritual darkness and even walks around in that darkness. He has no idea where he is going, for that darkness has caused him to be spiritually blind.12I am writing these things to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven because of Jesus, whose name means Saviour.13I am writing to the fathers among you because you have come to know the One who existed before time began. I am writing to the young men among you because you have overcome the evil one who tempts and accuses you. Dear children, I can write like this to you because you are in relationship with your heavenly Father.14I repeat to you fathers, you know the Eternal One who lived before the beginning of creation. One further thing I say to you, young men. Through your faith in Christ you are strong and God's Word lives in you. This is what has enabled you to overcome the evil one.Do not love the world15Now I say to you all: Do not love worldliness or anything that the world offers you. If anyone loves and longs for the things of this world, he does not have love for the heavenly Father in him.16For everything that the world offers, the sinful cravings of the flesh, lusting after the things you see, whether this be people or things, and boasting about what you have and do – all these things do not come from your heavenly Father but from the world.17The world and all the desires it inspires are passing away; but the man who obeys God's will by putting His words of love into action lives forever.Beware of opposition to the truth of Jesus Christ18My children, we are living in the end times. You have heard that the antichrist is coming, but I am telling you that many antichrists have already come. This is how we can tell that these are the end times!19These people who oppose Christ actually left us because they were not truly saved and did not, therefore, belong to us. If they were really part of us they would have remained at one with us. The fact that they left shows that none of them truly belong to us.20By contrast, you have an anointing from the Holy One, God Himself. So all of you know and experience the truth for yourselves.21So I do not write to you because you are ignorant of the truth, but because you know well what is true and right. You know that the truth contains no lies or deception.22Who is truly a liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ, God's anointed Son. Such a man is the antichrist, one opposed to the truth of who Christ is. He denies not only the Son but the Father as well.23And anyone who denies who Jesus is does not love Him or His Father. However, whoever believes and trusts in the Son has God for his Father also.24So ensure that the truth that you heard at the beginning of your Christian life continues to live in you. If it does, you will continue to live in the Son and in the Father.25And He has promised His gift of eternal life to all who truly believe.26The reason why I remind you of these things is to warn you against any who try to lead you astray from the truth.27Remember, the anointing you have already received from Him continues to live in you. So you do not need anyone to teach you where the truth lies, for the anointing of the Spirit of Truth teaches you about all these things. The anointing of truth is real; it is not like the counterfeit work of the enemy. So, just as the Spirit of Truth has already taught you, continue to live in Him who is the Truth, Christ Jesus your Lord.28Therefore, dear children, continue to live in Him so that when He comes again you may stand with confidence before Him, unashamed of anything in your life that His penetrating light will then reveal.29Because you know that He is right in all He is and does, you can be sure that all of you who do what is right have received the new birth that He alone can give.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)