Children of God
1 See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children—and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God. 2 My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.
4 Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the law. 5 You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him. 6 So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin; but whoever continues to sin has never seen him or known him.
7 Let no one deceive you, my children! Whoever does what is right is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. 8 Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this very reason, to destroy what the Devil had done.
9 Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin. 10 Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.
Love One Another
11 The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right.
13 So do not be surprised, my friends, if the people of the world hate you. 14 We know that we have left death and come over into life; we know it because we love others. Those who do not love are still under the power of death. 15 Those who hate others are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life in them. 16 This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others! 17 If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God? 18 My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
Courage before God
19 This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God's presence. 20 If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything. 21 And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God's presence. 22 We receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 What he commands is that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as Christ commanded us. 24 Those who obey God's commands live in union with God and God lives in union with them. And because of the Spirit that God has given us we know that God lives in union with us.
1 Redziet, kādu mīlestību Tēvs mums ir parādījis, ka tiekam saukti Dieva bērni, un mēs tādi arī esam. Pasaule mūs tāpēc neatzīst, ka tā Viņu nav atzinusi. 2 Mīļie, tagad mēs esam Dieva bērni, un vēl nav atklājies, kas mēs būsim. Mēs zinām, ka, kad tas atklāsies, mēs būsim Viņam līdzīgi, jo mēs redzēsim Viņu, kāds Viņš ir. 3 Katrs, kam ir šī cerība uz Viņu, šķīsta sevi pašu, kā Viņš ir šķīsts. 4 Katrs, kas dara grēku, dara arī netaisnību; grēks ir netaisnība. 5 Jūs zināt, ka Viņš ir atklājies, lai grēkus atņemtu, un grēku nav Viņā. 6 Katrs, kas paliek Viņā, negrēko; katrs, kas grēko, nav Viņu redzējis, nedz Viņu atzinis. 7 Bērni, lai neviens jūs nemaldina: kas dara taisnību, ir taisns, tā kā Viņš ir taisns. 8 Kas dara grēku, ir no velna, jo velns grēko no sākuma. Tamdēļ Dieva Dēls atnācis, lai Viņš iznīcinātu velna darbus. 9 Ikviens, kas ir no Dieva dzimis, nedara grēku, jo Viņa sēkla paliek viņā un tas nevar grēkot, jo viņš ir no Dieva dzimis. 10 No tā var pazīt Dieva bērnus un velna bērnus; katrs, kas nedara taisnību, nav no Dieva, arī tas ne, kas nemīl savu brāli. 11 Jo šī ir tā vēsts, ko esat dzirdējuši no sākuma, ka mums būs citam citu mīlēt, 12 ne kā Kains, kas bija no ļaunā un nokāva savu brāli, bet kādēļ viņš to nokāva? Tāpēc ka viņa darbi bija ļauni un viņa brāļa darbi taisni. 13 Nebrīnieties, brāļi, ja pasaule jūs ienīst. 14 Mēs zinām, ka esam no nāves pārgājuši dzīvībā, jo mēs mīlam brāļus; kas nemīl, paliek nāvē. 15 Katrs, kas savu brāli ienīst, ir slepkava, un jūs zināt, ka neviens slepkava nepatur sevī mūžīgo dzīvību. 16 No tā mēs esam nopratuši mīlestību, ka Viņš Savu dzīvību par mums ir atdevis; tad arī mums pienākas atdot savu dzīvību par brāļiem. 17 Bet kam ir laicīga manta un viņš redz savu brāli ciešam trūkumu un aizslēdz viņam savu sirdi, kā gan Dieva mīlestība paliktu viņā? 18 Bērniņi, nemīlēsim vārdiem, nedz ar mēli, bet ar darbiem un ar patiesību! 19 No tā mēs zināsim, ka piederam patiesībai un varēsim savu sirdi Viņa priekšā klusināt, 20 ka, ja mūsu sirds mūs pazudina, Dievs ir lielāks nekā mūsu sirds un zina visas lietas. 21 Mīļie, kad mūsu sirds nepazudina mūs, tad mums ir paļāvība uz Dievu, 22 un visu, ko mēs lūdzam, to saņemam no Viņa, jo mēs turam Viņa baušļus un darām to, kas Viņam patīkams. 23 Bet šis ir Viņa bauslis, lai mēs ticam Viņa Dēla Jēzus Kristus Vārdam un mīlam cits citu, kā Viņš mums pavēlējis. 24 Kas Viņa baušļus tur, tas paliek Viņā un Viņš tanī, bet no tā mēs noskārstam, ka Viņš paliek mūsos, proti, no Gara, ko Viņš mums ir devis.
