1 John 2:12-3:4

New International Version

Reasons for Writing

¹²I am writing to you, dear children,^(A)
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.^(B)
¹³I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.^(C)
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome^(D) the evil one.^(E)

¹⁴I write to you, dear children,^(F)
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.^(G)
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,^(H)
    and the word of God^(I) lives in you,^(J)
    and you have overcome the evil one.^(K)

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world.^(L) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them.^(M) ¹⁶For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,^(N) the lust of the eyes,^(O) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away,^(P) but whoever does the will of God^(Q) lives forever.

Warnings Against Denying the Son

¹⁸Dear children, this is the last hour;^(R) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,^(S) even now many antichrists have come.^(T) This is how we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us,^(U) 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.^(V)

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

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

²⁶I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.^(AF) ²⁷As for you, the anointing^(AG) 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^(AH) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.^(AI)

God’s Children and Sin

²⁸And now, dear children,^(AJ) continue in him, so that when he appears^(AK) we may be confident^(AL) and unashamed before him at his coming.^(AM)

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

3 See what great love^(AP) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!^(AQ) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.^(AR) ²Dear friends,^(AS) now we are children of God,^(AT) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,^[c]^(AU) we shall be like him,^(AV) for we shall see him as he is.^(AW) ³All who have this hope in him purify themselves,^(AX) just as he is pure.^(AY)