Christ Our Helper
1 I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one. 2 And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him. 4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us. 5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God: 6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
The New Command
7 My dear friends, this command I am writing you is not new; it is the old command, the one you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the message you have already heard. 8 However, the command I now write you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ and also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining.
9 If we say that we are in the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very hour. 10 If we love others, we live in the light, and so there is nothing in us that will cause someone else to sin. 11 But if we hate others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where we are going, because the darkness has made us blind.
12 I write to you, my children, because your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14 I write to you, my children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong; the word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.
15 Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. 16 Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. 17 The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.
The Enemy of Christ
18 My children, the end is near! You were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near. 19 These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.
20 But you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you by Christ, and so all of you know the truth. 21 I write you, then, not because you do not know the truth; instead, it is because you do know it, and you also know that no lie ever comes from the truth.
22 Who, then, is the liar? It is those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemy of Christ—they reject both the Father and the Son. 23 For those who reject the Son reject also the Father; those who accept the Son have the Father also.
24 Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then you will always live in union with the Son and the Father. 25 And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life.
26 I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.
28 Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes. 29 You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child.
Kristus ir mūsu aizstāvis
1 Mani bērniņi, to es jums rakstu, lai jūs negrēkotu. Un, ja arī kāds grēko, tad mums ir aizstāvis Tēva priekšā – Jēzus Kristus, tas taisnais. 2 Viņš ir ne tikai mūsu, bet arī visas pasaules grēku izlīdzinātājs. 3 No tā mēs zinām, ka esam viņu atzinuši, ka turam viņa baušļus. 4 Kas saka: es esmu viņu atzinis, – bet netur viņa baušļus, tas ir melis, un tādā nav patiesības. 5 Bet, ja kas viņa vārdu tur, tādā patiesi Dieva mīlestība ir piepildījusies. No tā mēs zinām, ka esam viņā. 6 Kas sakās paliekam viņā, tam arī pienākas tā dzīvot, kā viņš ir dzīvojis.
Jauns bauslis
7 Mīļotie, ne jaunu bausli es jums rakstu, bet senu bausli, kas jums ir bijis no iesākuma, un šis senais bauslis ir vārds, ko jūs no iesākuma esat dzirdējuši. 8 Un tomēr jaunu bausli es jums rakstu, kas ir patiess viņā un jūsos, jo tumsa pāriet un patiesā gaisma jau spīd. 9 Kas sakās esam gaismā un nīst savu brāli, tas vēl ir tumsā. 10 Kas mīl savu brāli, tas paliek gaismā, un piedauzības nav viņā. 11 Bet, kas nīst savu brāli, tas ir tumsā un staigā tumsā, un nezina, kurp viņš iet, jo tumsa ir viņa acis darījusi aklas.
12 Es rakstu jums, bērniņi,
jo viņa vārda dēļ grēki jums ir piedoti.
13 Es rakstu jums, tēvi,
jo jūs esat atzinuši to, kas ir no iesākuma.
Es rakstu jums, jaunekļi,
jo jūs esat uzvarējuši ļaunu.
14 Es jums esmu rakstījis, bērni,
jo jūs esat Tēvu atzinuši.
Es jums esmu rakstījis, tēvi,
jo jūs esat atzinuši to, kas ir no iesākuma.
Es jums esmu rakstījis, jaunekļi,
jo jūs esat stipri,
un Dieva vārds paliek jūsos,
un ļauno jūs esat uzvarējuši.
15 Nemīliet pasauli, nedz to, kas pasaulē! Ja kas pasauli mīl, tajā nav Tēva mīlestības. 16 Jo viss, kas ir pasaulē – miesas kārība, acu kārība un dzīves lepnība –, tas nav no Tēva, bet ir no pasaules. 17 Un pasaule paiet un viņas kārība, bet, kas dara Dieva gribu, paliek mūžīgi.
Antikrista nākšana
18 Bērniņi, ir pēdējā stunda, un jūs esat dzirdējuši, ka nāk antikrists; jau tagad ir cēlušies daudzi antikristi – no tā mēs zinām, ka ir pēdējā stunda. 19 Viņi izgāja no mums, bet nebija mūsējie, ja tie būtu bijuši mūsējie – tie pie mums būtu palikuši, bet viņi ir izgājuši, lai atklātos, ka tie visi nav mūsējie. 20 Bet jums ir svaidījums no Svētā, un jūs visi to zināt. 21 Ne tādēļ es jums esmu rakstījis, ka jūs nezināt patiesību, bet tādēļ, ka jūs to zināt – nekādi meli nav no patiesības. 22 Kas ir melis, ja ne tas, kas noliedz, ka Jēzus ir Kristus? Tas ir antikrists, kas noliedz Tēvu un Dēlu. 23 Katram, kas noliedz Dēlu, nav arī Tēva; kas apliecina Dēlu, tam ir arī Tēvs. 24 Ko jūs no iesākuma esat dzirdējuši, lai paliek jūsos. Ja jūsos paliks tas, ko esat dzirdējuši no iesākuma, tad arī jūs paliksit Dēlā un Tēvā. 25 Šis ir tas apsolījums, ko viņš mums ir solījis – mūžīgā dzīvība. 26 To es jums esmu rakstījis par tiem, kas jūs maldina. 27 Un lai jūsos paliek tas svaidījums, ko jūs no viņa esat saņēmuši, un jums nevajag, ka jūs kāds mācītu; bet, kā viņa svaidījums jums māca visu – un ir patiess un nav meli – un kā viņš jūs ir mācījis, tā palieciet viņā! 28 Tā nu, bērniņi, palieciet viņā, lai, kad viņš parādīsies, mums būtu paļāvība un lai, viņam atnākot, mēs netiktu viņa apkaunoti. 29 Ja jūs zināt, ka viņš ir taisns, tad ziniet, ka arī katrs, kas dara taisnību, ir piedzimis no viņa.
