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.
1 Mani bērniņi, to es jums rakstu, lai jūs negrēkotu. Un, ja kāds krīt grēkā, tad mums ir aizstāvis Tēva priekšā - Jēzus Kristus, kas ir taisns. 2 Viņš ir mūsu grēku izpircējs, ne tikai mūsu vien, bet visas pasaules grēku. 3 No tā mēs noprotam, ka esam Viņu atzinuši, ja turam Viņa baušļus. 4 Kas saka: es esmu Viņu atzinis, bet netur Viņa baušļus, ir melis, un viņā nav patiesības. 5 Bet, kas Viņa vārdus tur, tanī patiesi Dieva mīlestība ir kļuvusi pilnīga. No tā mēs noprotam, ka esam Viņā. 6 Kas teicas paliekam Viņā, tam pienākas arī pašam tā dzīvot, kā Viņš ir dzīvojis. 7 Mīļie, ne jaunu bausli es jums rakstu, bet vecu bausli, kas bija no sākuma. Šis vecais bauslis ir tas vārds, ko esat dzirdējuši. 8 Tomēr jaunu bausli es jums rakstu, un tas ir patiess Viņā un jūsos, jo tumsība zūd, un īstā gaisma jau spīd. 9 Kas teicas esot gaismā un ienīst savu brāli, ir vēl aizvien tumsībā. 10 Kas mīl savu brāli, paliek gaismā, un piedauzības nav viņā; 11 bet, kas savu brāli ienīst, ir tumsībā un dzīvo tumsā un nezina, kurp tas iet, jo tumsa ir aptumšojusi viņa acis. 12 Es rakstu jums, bērniņi, jo grēki jums ir Viņa Vārda dēļ piedoti. 13 Es rakstu jums, tēvi, jo jūs esat atzinuši Viņu, kas ir no sākuma. Es rakstu jums, jaunekļi, jo jūs esat uzvarējuši ļauno. 14 Es esmu jums rakstījis, bērni, jo jūs esat Tēvu atzinuši. Es esmu jums rakstījis, tēvi, jo jūs esat atzinuši Viņu, kas ir no sākuma. Es esmu jums rakstījis, jaunekļi, jo jūs esat stipri, un Dieva vārds paliek jūsos, un jūs ļauno esat uzvarējuši. 15 Nemīliet pasauli, nedz to, kas ir pasaulē. Ja kāds mīl pasauli, tad viņā 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 Pasaule iznīkst un viņas kārība, bet, kas dara Dieva prātu, paliek mūžīgi. 18 Bērniņi, ir pēdējā stunda, un, kā jūs esat dzirdējuši, ka nāk antikrists, tā jau tagad daudzi antikristi ir cēlušies; no tā mēs noprotam, ka ir pēdējā stunda. 19 No mums viņi ir izgājuši, bet viņi nav bijuši mūsējie, jo, ja tie būtu bijuši mūsējie, tie būtu pie mums palikuši, bet viņi nav pie mums palikuši, lai atklātos, ka viņi nav visi mūsēji. 20 Jums ir svaidījums no Svētā, un jūs zināt visu. 21 Es esmu jums rakstījis ne tāpēc, ka jūs nezināt patiesību, bet tāpēc, ka jūs to zināt un ka meli nekad 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 Tēva, tam, kas apliecina Dēlu, ir arī Tēvs. 24 Jūsos lai paliek tas, ko esat dzirdējuši no sākuma. Ja jūsos paliks tas, ko esat dzirdējuši no sākuma, tad arī jūs paliksit Dēlā un Tēvā. 25 Šis ir tas apsolījums, ko Viņš mums ir apsolījis - mūžīgā dzīvība. 26 To es esmu jums rakstījis par tiem, kas jūs maldina. 27 Arī jūs svaidījumu saņēmāt no Viņa, un tas paliek jūsos, un jums nevajag, ka kāds jūs mācītu; bet, kā Viņa svaidījums māca jums visas lietas un ir patiesīgs un nav meli un kā Viņš jūs ir mācījis, tā palieciet Viņā. 28 Un tagad, bērniņi, palieciet Viņā, lai, kad Viņš parādīsies, mums būtu drošs prāts un mēs, Viņam atnākot, nepaliktu kaunā. 29 Ja jūs zināt, ka Viņš ir taisns, tad jūs saprotat, ka katrs, kas dara taisnību, ir no Viņa piedzimis.
