This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

He who says, "I know him," but does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him:

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come; by this we know that it is the last hour.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does right is born of him.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! And so we are! The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

And you know that he appeared to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin.

No one who abides in him sins. No one who sins has either seen him or known him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

No one who is of God practices sin, for God's seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

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

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

By this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him

Now those who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

By this you know the Spirit of God: every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.

We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us; he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. And he who fears is not made perfect in love.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

We know that anyone born of God does not sin; but he who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.