1Jo 3 | ESV | STEP | See what kind of love the Father has given to us , that we should be called children of God ; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him .

1 See ^awhat kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called ^bchildren of God; and so we are. The reason why ^cthe world does not know us is that ^dit did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are ^eGod’s children ^fnow, and what we will be ^ghas not yet appeared; but we know that ^hwhen he appears ^{▼▼Or when it appears} ^jwe shall be like him, because ^kwe shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who ^lthus hopes in him ^mpurifies himself as he is pure.

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; ⁿsin is lawlessness. 5 You know that ^ohe appeared in order to ^ptake away sins, and ^qin him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^rno one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, ^slet no one deceive you. ^tWhoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 ^uWhoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was ^vto destroy the works of the devil. 9 ^wNo one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s ^{▼▼Greek his} seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, ^ynor is the one who ^zdoes not love his brother.

Love One Another

11 For ^aathis is the message that you have heard from the beginning, ^abthat we should love one another. 12 We should not be like ^acCain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? ^adBecause his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God’s family, the church; also verses 14, 16} ^afthat the world hates you. 14 We know that ^agwe have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 ^ahEveryone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^aino murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know love, that ^ajhe laid down his life for us, and ^akwe ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But ^alif anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet ^amcloses his heart against him, ^anhow does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not ^aolove in word or talk but in deed and ^apin truth.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, ^aqif our heart does not condemn us, ^arwe have confidence before God; 22 and ^aswhatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and ^atdo what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, ^authat we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and ^avlove one another, ^awjust as he has commanded us. 24 ^axWhoever keeps his commandments abides in God, ^{▼▼Greek him} and God ^{▼▼Greek he} in him. And ^baby this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.