Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; (A)sin is lawlessness. You know that (B)he appeared in order to (C)take away sins, and (D)in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; (E)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, (F)let no one deceive you. (G)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. (H)Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was (I)to destroy the works of the devil. (J)No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[a] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, (K)nor is the one who (L)does not love his brother.

Love One Another

11 For (M)this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, (N)that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like (O)Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? (P)Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,[b] (Q)that the world hates you. 14 We know that (R)we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 (S)Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that (T)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 3:9 Greek his
  2. 1 John 3:13 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 14, 16

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