1 John 3

HCSB

1 John 3

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1} Look at how great a love^(a) 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. ^{Tools
2} Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.^(A) We know that when He appears, we will be like Him^(B) because we will see Him as He is.^(C) ^{Tools
3} And everyone who has this hope^(D) in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.^(E)

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4} Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law;^(b) sin is the breaking of law. ^{Tools
5} You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins,^(c)^(F) and there is no sin in Him.^(G) ^{Tools
6} Everyone who remains in Him^(H) does not sin;^(d)^(I) everyone who^(e) sins has not seen Him or known Him.

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7} Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. ^{Tools
8} The one who commits^(f) sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God^(J) was revealed^(K) for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. ^{Tools
9} Everyone who has been born of God^(L) does not sin,^(g) because His^(h) seed^(M) remains in him; he is not able to sin,⁽ⁱ⁾ because he has been born of God.

The Command to Love

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10} This is how God’s children—and the Devil’s children—are made evident.

Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother.^(N) ^{Tools
11} For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, ^{Tools
12} unlike Cain,^(O) who was of the evil one^(P) and murdered^(j) his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. ^{Tools
13} Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates^(Q) you. ^{Tools
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.^(R) ^{Tools
15} Everyone who hates his brother^(S) is a murderer,^(T) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Love in Action

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16} This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life^(U) for us.^(V) We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.^(W) ^{Tools
17} If anyone has this world’s goods^(X) and sees his brother in need^(Y) but closes his eyes^(Z) to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?^(AA)

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18} Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.^(AB) ^{Tools
19} This is how we will know we belong to the truth^(AC) and will convince our conscience in His presence, ^{Tools
20} even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things.^(AD)

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21} Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we have confidence before God ^{Tools
22} and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands^(AE) and do what is pleasing in His sight. ^{Tools
23} Now this is His command: that we believe in the name^(AF) of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. ^{Tools
24} The one who keeps His commands remains in Him,^(AG) and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us^(AH) is from the Spirit^(AI) He has given us.

Footnotes:

a. 1 John 3:1: Or at what sort of love

b. 1 John 3:4: Or also commits iniquity

c. 1 John 3:5: Other mss read our sins

d. 1 John 3:6: Or not keep on sinning

e. 1 John 3:6: Or who keeps on sinning

f. 1 John 3:8: Or practices

g. 1 John 3:9: Or not practice sin

h. 1 John 3:9: God’s

i. 1 John 3:9: Or to keep on sinning

j. 1 John 3:12: Or slaughtered

Cross references:

A. 1 John 3:2: 2 Corinthians 4:11; 1 Peter 5:4; 1 John 2:28

B. 1 John 3:2: Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:21; 2 Peter 1:4

C. 1 John 3:2: 1 Corinthians 13:12; Hebrews 12:14; Revelation 22:4

D. 1 John 3:3: Acts 23:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:3

E. 1 John 3:3: Philippians 4:8

F. 1 John 3:5: John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 10:4; 1 Peter 2:24

G. 1 John 3:5: 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:29

H. 1 John 3:6: John 15:4-7; 1 John 2:6; 1 John 2:24; 1 John 2:27-28; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:13; 1 John 4:15-16

I. 1 John 3:6: Romans 6:11-12; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 5:18

J. 1 John 3:8: Mark 1:11

K. 1 John 3:8: John 21:1; 2 Corinthians 4:11; 1 Peter 5:4; 1 John 5:20

L. 1 John 3:9: 1 John 2:29

M. 1 John 3:9: 1 Peter 1:23

N. 1 John 3:10: 1 John 2:10; 1 John 3:14-17; 1 John 4:20-21

O. 1 John 3:12: Genesis 4:1; Jude 1:11

P. 1 John 3:12: 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Q. 1 John 3:13: John 17:14

R. 1 John 3:14: John 8:51

S. 1 John 3:15: 1 John 2:9; 1 John 2:11; 1 John 4:20

T. 1 John 3:15: Matthew 5:21-22; John 8:44

U. 1 John 3:16: John 10:11; John 10:14; John 10:17-18; John 13:37-38; John 15:13

V. 1 John 3:16: Isaiah 53:10; Mark 10:45

W. 1 John 3:16: Mark 8:34-35; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 2:5-8

X. 1 John 3:17: Mark 12:44; Luke 15:12; 1 John 2:16

Y. 1 John 3:17: Acts 2:45

Z. 1 John 3:17: 2 Corinthians 7:15

AA. 1 John 3:17: James 2:15-16; 1 John 2:5

AB. 1 John 3:18: Matthew 7:21; John 13:34-35; John 15:12-17; James 1:22-25; James 2:14-17

AC. 1 John 3:19: John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 11:10; 3 John 1:3

AD. 1 John 3:20: Psalm 139:6; Proverbs 2:6; John 14:28

AE. 1 John 3:22: Mark 7:8; John 14:15; 1 John 2:3; 1 John 5:2

AF. 1 John 3:23: Psalm 33:21; Isaiah 50:10; John 1:12; John 3:18; 1 John 5:13

AG. 1 John 3:24: Luke 11:13; John 15:4-7; Acts 5:32; Acts 15:8

AH. 1 John 3:24: John 6:56

AI. 1 John 3:24: Romans 8:9-16