What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of life—

that life was revealed,
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us—

what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father
and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.

If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.

But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One.

This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.

The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet doesn"t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the message you have heard.

I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins have been forgiven
because of Jesus’ name.

I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have had victory over the evil one.

I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God’s word remains in you,
and you have had victory over the evil one.

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, “Antichrist is coming,” even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour.

They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

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

I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth.

No one who denies the Son can have the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.

What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.

I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another,

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we have confidence before God

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior.

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

In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in this world.

And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.

The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.

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.

Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.