1Jo 3 | HCSB | STEP | Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children . And we are ! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him .

‏ 1 John 3

1 Look at how great a love ^{▼▼Or at what sort of love} the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the ^{▼▼world: The organized Satanic system that is opposed to God and hostile to Jesus and His followers. The non-Christian culture including governments, educational systems, and businesses}world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. 2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. ^c We know that when He appears, we will be like Him ^d because we will see Him as He is. ^e 3 And everyone who has this hope ^f in Him purifies himself just as He is pure. ^g

4 Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; ^{▼▼Or also commits iniquity} sin is the breaking of law. 5 You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, ^{▼▼Other mss read our sins
,} ^j and there is no sin in Him. ^k 6 Everyone who remains in Him ^l does not sin; ^{▼▼Or not keep on sinning
,} ⁿ everyone who ^{▼▼Or who keeps on sinning} sins has not seen Him or known Him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who commits ^{▼▼Or practices} sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God ^q was revealed ^r for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. 9 Everyone who has been born of God ^s does not sin, ^{▼▼Or not practice sin} because His ^{▼▼God’s} seed ^v remains in him; he is not able to sin, ^{▼▼Or to keep on sinning} because he has been born of God. 10 This is how God’s children – and the Devil’s children – are made evident.

The Command to Love

Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother. ^x 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, ^y who was of the evil one ^z and murdered ^{▼▼Or slaughtered} his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, ^{▼▼brother(s): The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.}brothers, if the world hates ^ac you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. ^ad 15 Everyone who hates his brother ^ae is a murderer, ^af and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Love in Action

16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life ^ag for us. ^ah We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. ^ai 17 If anyone has this world’s goods ^aj and sees his brother in need ^ak but closes his eyes ^al to his need – how can God’s love reside in him? ^am

18 Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. ^an 19 This is how we will know we belong to the truth ^ao and will convince our conscience in His presence, 20 even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things. ^ap

21 Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands ^aq and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23 Now this is His command: that we believe in the name ^ar of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, ^as and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us ^at is from the Spirit ^au He has given us.