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

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

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.

and the world is passing away with its desire, while he who does the will of God remains for ever.

'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.

he who commits sin belongs to the devil, for the devil is a sinner from the very beginning. (This is why the Son of God appeared, to destroy the deeds of the devil.)

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.

Here is how the children of God and the children of the devil are recognized; anyone who does not practise righteousness does not belong to God, and neither does he who has no love for his brother.

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?

whenever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and he knows all.

If our heart does not condemn us, beloved, then we have confidence in approaching God,

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

Do not believe every spirit, beloved, but test the spirits to see if they come from God; for many false prophets have emerged in the world.

You can recognize the Spirit of God by this: every spirit which confesses Jesus as the Christ incarnate comes from God,

and every spirit which does not confess Jesus [incarnate] does not come from God. This latter is the spirit of antichrist; you were told it was coming, and here it is already in the world.

My dear children, you belong to God, and you have conquered all such, for He who is within you is greater than he who is in the world.

we belong to God ??he who knows God listens to us, he who does not belong to God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love belongs to God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God;

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

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.

Beloved, if God had such love for us, we ought to love one another.

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.

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.

If anyone declares, 'I love God,' and yet hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who will not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot possibly love the God whom he has never seen.

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.

This is how we are sure that we love God's children, by loving God and obeying his commands

(for love to God means keeping his commands). And his commands are not irksome,

for whatever is born of God conquers the world. Our faith, that is the conquest which conquers the world.

Who is the world's conqueror but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

If we accept human testimony, God's testimony is greater; for God's testimony consists in his testimony to his Son.

He who believes in the Son of God possesses that testimony within himself; he who will not believe God, has made God a liar by refusing to believe the testimony which God has borne to his Son.

And the testimony is, that God gave us life eternal and this life is in his Son.

I have written in this way to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may be sure you have life eternal.

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 we belong to God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil One.

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.