Here is the message we learned from him and announce to you: 'God is light and in him there is no darkness, none.'

If we say, 'We have fellowship with him,' when we live and move in darkness, then we are lying, we are not practising the truth;

if we say, "We have not sinned," we make him a liar and his word is not within us.

This is how we may be sure we know him, by obeying his commands.

He who says, 'I know him,' but does not obey his commands, is a liar and the truth is not in him;

but whoever obeys his word, in him love to God is really complete. This is how we may be sure we are in him:

he who says he 'remains in him' ought to live as he lived.

And yet it is a new command I am writing to you ??realized in him and also in yourselves, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

fathers, I am writing to you, because you know him who is from the very beginning: young men, I am writing to you, because you have conquered the evil One. Children, I have written to you, because you know the Father:

fathers, I have written to you, because you know him who is from the very beginning: young men, I have written to you, because you are strong, and the word of God remains within you, and you have conquered the evil One.

Love not the world, nor yet what is in the world; if anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

but the unction you received from him remains within you, and you really need no teaching from anyone; simply remain in him, for his unction teaches you about everything and is true and is no lie ??remain in him, as it has taught you to do.

Remain within him now, my dear children, so that when he appears we may have confidence, instead of shrinking from him in shame at his arrival.

As you know he is just, be sure that everyone who practises righteousness is born of him.

'Born of him!' Think what a love the Father has for us, in letting us be called 'children of God!' That is what we are. The world does not recognize us? That is simply because it did not recognize him.

We are children of God now, beloved; what we are to be is not apparent yet, but we do know that when he appears, we are to be like him ??for we are to see him as he is.

And everyone who rests this hope on him, purifies himself as he is pure.

and you know he appeared to take [our] sins away. In him there is no sin;

anyone who remains in him does not sin ??anyone who sins has neither seen nor known him.

Anyone who is born of God does not commit sin, for the offspring of God remain in Him, and they cannot sin, because they are born of God.

we are not to be like Cain, who belonged to the evil One and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's just.

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining within him.

But whoever possesses this world's goods, and notices his brother in need, and shuts his heart against him, how can love to God remain in him?

and we get from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.

he who obeys his commands remains within him ??and He remains within him. And this is how we may be sure he remains within us, by means of the Spirit he has given us.

This is how the love of God has appeared for us, by God sending his only Son into the world, so that by him we might live.

Love lies in this, not in our love for him but in his love for us ??in the sending of his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God no one has ever seen; but if we love one another, then God remains within us, and love for him is complete in us.

This is how we may be sure we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us a share in his own Spirit;

Whoever confesses that 'Jesus is the Son of God,' in him God remains, and he remains in God;

well, we do know, we have believed, the love God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

And we get this command from him, that he who loves God is to love his brother as well.

Everyone who believes Jesus is the Christ, is born of God; and everyone who loves the Father, loves the sons born of him.

Now the confidence we have in him is this, that he listens to us whenever we ask anything in accordance with his will;

and if we know he listens to whatever we ask, we know we obtain the requests we have made to him.

If anyone notices his brother committing a sin which is not deadly, he will ask and obtain life for him ??for anyone who does not commit a deadly sin. There is such a thing as deadly sin; I do not mean he is to pray for that.

We know that anyone who is born of God does not sin; He who was born of God preserves him, and the evil One never catches him.

We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us insight to know Him who is the Real God; and we are in Him who is real, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the real God, this is life eternal.