1 John

Assures believers of eternal life through faith in Jesus and commands love for God and one another.

Chapter 3

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

*Look at how much love the Father has given to us, by calling us his children. This is why the world doesn't recognize us, because it didn't know Him.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

*Dear ones, now we are God's children, but we don't know fully what we will become. However, when Christ returns, we will resemble Him, and we will see Him as He truly is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

*Anyone who hopes for this inside them makes themselves clean, just like being really clean.

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

*Whoever commits a sin also breaks the law, because sin is breaking the law.

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

*You know he appeared to remove our wrongdoings, and he doesn't have any faults.

6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

*Whoever stays close to him does not commit wrongdoing; whoever commits wrongdoing has not seen or known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

*Little ones, don't let anyone trick you: the one who does what is good is also good, just like God is good.

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

*Whoever does wrong is from the devil because the devil has been doing wrong since the start. The Son of God came to earth to stop the bad things the devil did.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

*Whoever is born from God does not do wrong things; because God's part stays in them. They can't do bad things since they came from God.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

*This shows who belongs to God and who belongs to the devil: those who don't do what is right aren't from God, and those who don't love their brothers aren't either.

11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

*This means that right from the start, we were told to care for each other.

12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

*Don't be like Cain, who followed the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he do it? Because his actions were bad while his brother's were good.

13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

*Don't be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

*We understand that we moved from a lifeless state to real life since we care for other believers. If you don't love your fellow believer, you still live in that lifeless state.

15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

*Whoever dislikes their brother is a killer, and you know that a killer doesn't have everlasting life within them.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

*In this way, we understand God's love since He gave His life for us; therefore, we should also be ready to give our lives for fellow believers.

17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

*If someone has wealth but sees their brother in need and doesn't show compassion, how can they have God's love?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

*My dear kids, don't just talk about loving; show it through actions and be genuine.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

*This means we can be sure we are telling the truth, and our hearts will feel confident as a result.

20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

*If our own hearts say we're bad, God is even bigger and knows everything, so He understands better.

21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

*Dear friends, if our hearts don't judge us negatively, then we can be confident in front of God.

22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

*If we follow his rules and do what he likes, he will give us whatever we ask for.

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

*This means we must trust in Jesus Christ's name and care for each other, just like he told us to do.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

*If you follow God's rules, he lives with you, and you live with him. We know this because God's spirit stays with us.

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