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1 John 1-4
Holman Christian Standard Bible

Prologue: Our Declaration

1 What was from the beginning,(A)
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word(B) of life—
2 that life was revealed,(C)
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us(D)—
3 what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship(E) along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father(F)
and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things[a]
so that our[b] joy(G) may be complete.

Fellowship with God

5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light,(H) and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.(I) 6 If we say, “We have fellowship(J) with Him,” yet we walk in darkness,(K) we are lying and are not practicing[c] the truth.(L) 7 But if we walk in the light(M) as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus(N) His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,”(O) we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive(P) us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word(Q) is not in us.(R)

2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate(S) with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the propitiation(T) for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.(U)

God’s Commands

3 This is how we are sure(V) that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.(W) 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet doesn't keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word,(X) truly in him the love of God is perfected.[d] This is how we know we are in Him:(Y) 6 The one who says he remains in Him(Z) should walk just as He walked.

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command(AA) but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the message(AB) you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away(AC) and the true light(AD) is already shining.(AE)

9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother(AF) is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother(AG) remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.[e] 11 But the one who hates his brother(AH) is in the darkness, walks in the darkness,(AI) and doesn’t know where he’s going,(AJ) because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Reasons for Writing

12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins have been forgiven
because of Jesus’ name.(AK)
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.(AL)
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have had victory over the evil one.(AM)
14 I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God’s word(AN) remains in you,
and you have had victory over the evil one.

A Warning about the World

15 Do not love the world(AO) or the things that belong to[f] the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to[g] the world—the lust of the flesh,(AP) the lust of the eyes,(AQ) and the pride(AR) in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away,(AS) but the one who does God’s will(AT) remains forever.(AU)

The Last Hour

18 Children, it is the last hour.(AV) And as you have heard, “Antichrist(AW) is coming,” even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

20 But you have an anointing(AX) from the Holy One,(AY) and all of you have knowledge.[h] 21 I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah?(AZ) This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son can have the Father;(BA) he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.(BB)

Remaining with God

24 What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son(BC) and in the Father.(BD) 25 And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.(BE) 26 I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

27 The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things(BF) and is true and is not a lie; just as He has taught you, remain in Him.(BG)

God’s Children

28 So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears(BH) we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.(BI) 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right(BJ) has been born of Him.(BK) 3 1 Look at how great a love[i] 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. 2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.(BL) We know that when He appears, we will be like Him(BM) because we will see Him as He is.(BN) 3 And everyone who has this hope(BO) in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.(BP)

4 Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law;[j] sin is the breaking of law. 5 You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins,[k](BQ) and there is no sin in Him.(BR) 6 Everyone who remains in Him(BS) does not sin;[l](BT) everyone who[m] 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[n] sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God(BU) was revealed(BV) for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. 9 Everyone who has been born of God(BW) does not sin,[o] because His[p] seed(BX) remains in him; he is not able to sin,[q] 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.(BY) 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain,(BZ) who was of the evil one(CA) and murdered[r] his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates(CB) 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.(CC) 15 Everyone who hates his brother(CD) is a murderer,(CE) 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(CF) for us.(CG) We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.(CH) 17 If anyone has this world’s goods(CI) and sees his brother in need(CJ) but closes his eyes(CK) to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?(CL)

18 Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.(CM) 19 This is how we will know we belong to the truth(CN) 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.(CO)

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(CP) and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23 Now this is His command: that we believe in the name(CQ) of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commands remains in Him,(CR) and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us(CS) is from the Spirit(CT) He has given us.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits(CU) to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has[s] come in the flesh(CV) is from God.(CW) 3 But every spirit who does not confess Jesus[t] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist;(CX) you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you(CY) is greater than the one who is in the world.(CZ) 5 They are from the world.(DA) Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us;(DB) anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.(DC)

Knowing God through Love

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God(DD) and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way:[u] God sent(DE) His One and Only Son(DF) into the world so that we might live(DG) through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us(DH) and sent His Son to be the[v] propitiation(DI) for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.(DJ) 12 No one has ever seen God.[w](DK) If we love one another, God remains in[x] us and His love is perfected in us.

13 This is how we know that we remain in Him(DL) and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit.(DM) 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son(DN) as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses[y](DO) that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

17 In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment,(DP) for we are as He is in this world.(DQ) 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear,(DR) because fear involves punishment.[z] So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.(DS) 19 We love[aa] because He first loved us.(DT)

Keeping God’s Commands

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother,(DU) he is a liar.(DV) For the person who does not love his brother(DW) he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen.[ab] 21 And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 1:4 Other mss add to you
  2. 1 John 1:4 Other mss read your
  3. 1 John 1:6 Or not living according to
  4. 1 John 2:5 Or truly completed
  5. 1 John 2:10 Or in it
  6. 1 John 2:15 Lit things in
  7. 1 John 2:16 Lit that is in
  8. 1 John 2:20 Other mss read and you know all things
  9. 1 John 3:1 Or at what sort of love
  10. 1 John 3:4 Or also commits iniquity
  11. 1 John 3:5 Other mss read our sins
  12. 1 John 3:6 Or not keep on sinning
  13. 1 John 3:6 Or who keeps on sinning
  14. 1 John 3:8 Or practices
  15. 1 John 3:9 Or not practice sin
  16. 1 John 3:9 God’s
  17. 1 John 3:9 Or to keep on sinning
  18. 1 John 3:12 Or slaughtered
  19. 1 John 4:2 Or confesses Jesus to be the Christ
  20. 1 John 4:3 Other mss read confess that Jesus has come in the flesh
  21. 1 John 4:9 Or revealed in us
  22. 1 John 4:10 Or a
  23. 1 John 4:12 Since God is an infinite being, no one can see Him in His absolute essential nature; Ex 33:18-23.
  24. 1 John 4:12 Or remains among
  25. 1 John 4:15 Or acknowledges
  26. 1 John 4:18 Or fear has its own punishment or torment
  27. 1 John 4:19 Other mss add Him
  28. 1 John 4:20 Other mss read has seen, how is he able to love . . . seen? (as a question)
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1 John 1-4
New International Version

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning,(A) which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,(B) which we have looked at and our hands have touched(C)—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared;(D) we have seen it and testify to it,(E) and we proclaim to you the eternal life,(F) which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,(G) so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.(H) 4 We write this(I) to make our[a] joy complete.(J)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

5 This is the message we have heard(K) from him and declare to you: God is light;(L) in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,(M) we lie and do not live out the truth.(N) 7 But if we walk in the light,(O) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.(P)

8 If we claim to be without sin,(Q) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.(R) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins(S) and purify us from all unrighteousness.(T) 10 If we claim we have not sinned,(U) we make him out to be a liar(V) and his word is not in us.(W)

2 My dear children,(X) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate(Y) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,(Z) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.(AA)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

3 We know(AB) that we have come to know him(AC) if we keep his commands.(AD) 4 Whoever says, “I know him,”(AE) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.(AF) 5 But if anyone obeys his word,(AG) love for God[c] is truly made complete in them.(AH) This is how we know(AI) we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.(AJ)

7 Dear friends,(AK) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.(AL) This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command;(AM) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing(AN) and the true light(AO) is already shining.(AP)

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[d](AQ) is still in the darkness.(AR) 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[e] lives in the light,(AS) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.(AT) 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister(AU) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.(AV) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.(AW)

Reasons for Writing

12 I am writing to you, dear children,(AX)
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.(AY)
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.(AZ)
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome(BA) the evil one.(BB)

14 I write to you, dear children,(BC)
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.(BD)
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,(BE)
    and the word of God(BF) lives in you,(BG)
    and you have overcome the evil one.(BH)

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world.(BI) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[f] is not in them.(BJ) 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,(BK) the lust of the eyes,(BL) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away,(BM) but whoever does the will of God(BN) lives forever.

Warnings Against Denying the Son

18 Dear children, this is the last hour;(BO) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,(BP) even now many antichrists have come.(BQ) This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us,(BR) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.(BS)

20 But you have an anointing(BT) from the Holy One,(BU) and all of you know the truth.[g](BV) 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it(BW) and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.(BX) 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.(BY)

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning(BZ) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.(CA) 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.(CB)

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.(CC) 27 As for you, the anointing(CD) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things(CE) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.(CF)

God’s Children and Sin

28 And now, dear children,(CG) continue in him, so that when he appears(CH) we may be confident(CI) and unashamed before him at his coming.(CJ)

29 If you know that he is righteous,(CK) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.(CL)

3 See what great love(CM) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(CN) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(CO) 2 Dear friends,(CP) now we are children of God,(CQ) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[h](CR) we shall be like him,(CS) for we shall see him as he is.(CT) 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(CU) just as he is pure.(CV)

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(CW) 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(CX) And in him is no sin.(CY) 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(CZ) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(DA) or known him.(DB)

7 Dear children,(DC) do not let anyone lead you astray.(DD) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(DE) 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(DF) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(DG) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(DH) 9 No one who is born of God(DI) will continue to sin,(DJ) because God’s seed(DK) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(DL) are and who the children of the devil(DM) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(DN) their brother and sister.(DO)

More on Love and Hatred

11 For this is the message you heard(DP) from the beginning:(DQ) We should love one another.(DR) 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(DS) and murdered his brother.(DT) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(DU) 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[i] if the world hates you.(DV) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life,(DW) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.(DX) 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister(DY) is a murderer,(DZ) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.(EA)

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.(EB) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.(EC) 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,(ED) how can the love of God be in that person?(EE) 18 Dear children,(EF) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(EG)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends,(EH) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(EI) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(EJ) because we keep his commands(EK) and do what pleases him.(EL) 23 And this is his command: to believe(EM) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(EN) and to love one another as he commanded us.(EO) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(EP) lives in him,(EQ) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(ER)

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,(ES) do not believe every spirit,(ET) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(EU) 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh(EV) is from God,(EW) 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,(EX) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.(EY)

4 You, dear children,(EZ) are from God and have overcome them,(FA) because the one who is in you(FB) is greater than the one who is in the world.(FC) 5 They are from the world(FD) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.(FE) This is how we recognize the Spirit[j] of truth(FF) and the spirit of falsehood.(FG)

God’s Love and Ours

7 Dear friends, let us love one another,(FH) for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God(FI) and knows God.(FJ) 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.(FK) 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son(FL) into the world that we might live through him.(FM) 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us(FN) and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.(FO) 11 Dear friends,(FP) since God so loved us,(FQ) we also ought to love one another.(FR) 12 No one has ever seen God;(FS) but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.(FT)

13 This is how we know(FU) that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.(FV) 14 And we have seen and testify(FW) that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.(FX) 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,(FY) God lives in them and they in God.(FZ) 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.(GA) Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.(GB) 17 This is how love is made complete(GC) among us so that we will have confidence(GD) on the day of judgment:(GE) In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,(GF) because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us.(GG) 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister(GH) is a liar.(GI) For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,(GJ) cannot love God, whom they have not seen.(GK) 21 And he has given us this command:(GL) Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.(GM)

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
  2. 1 John 1:7 Or every
  3. 1 John 2:5 Or word, God’s love
  4. 1 John 2:9 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15, 17; 4:20; 5:16.
  5. 1 John 2:10 The Greek word for brother and sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in 3:10; 4:20, 21.
  6. 1 John 2:15 Or world, the Father’s love
  7. 1 John 2:20 Some manuscripts and you know all things
  8. 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
  9. 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.
  10. 1 John 4:6 Or spirit
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