Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

Now by this we know that we have come to know God: if we keep his commandments.

The one who says "I have come to know God" and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.

But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him.

Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have already heard.

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

The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

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

Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour.

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

I have not written to you that you do not know the truth, but that you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Now this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.

Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside in him.

And now, little children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he comes back.

If you know that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered by him.

(See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God's children -- and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him.

Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.

And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.

We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death.

Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians.

And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence,

Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment.

And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God,

but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.

We are from God; the person who knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit.

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.

By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments.

Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

I have written 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 in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.

We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him.

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

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