¹⁰ This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.^(A)

²³ Now this is his command: that we believe in the name^(A) of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.

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^(A) 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^[a] in this way: God sent^(B) his one and only Son^(C) into the world so that we might live^(D) through him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us^(E) and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice^[b](F) for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.^(G)

¹⁹ We love^[a] because he first loved us.^{(A) 20} If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister,^(B) he is a liar.^(C) For the person who does not love his brother or sister^(D) whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.^{[b] 21} And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.