That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life

(and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life , which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us);

that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ:

And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth;

If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.]

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye should sin not: if, though, any man sin, yet we have an Advocate with the father, even Jesus Christ, which is righteous.

whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.

Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye heard.

Again, a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth.

Have no love for the world or for the things which are in the world. If any man has love for the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For every thing which in the world, the eager desire of the flesh, and the eager desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Children, it is the last hour. And as ye heard that the antichrist comes, and now many antichrists have developed, from which we know that it is the last hour.

I have not sent you this letter because you have no knowledge of what is true, but because you have knowledge, and because that which is false has nothing in common with that which is true.

As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.

And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal.

And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.

For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:

and not be as Cain, which was of the devil and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? For his own deeds were evil, and his brother's righteous.

And he gives us all our requests, because we keep his laws and do the things which are pleasing in his eyes.

And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

By this you may have knowledge of the Spirit of God: every spirit which says that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God:

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in flesh is not of God. And this is that of the antichrist, which ye have heard that it comes, and is now in the world already.

We are of God: he who has the knowledge of God gives ear to us; he who is not of God does not give ear to us. By this we may see which is the true spirit, and which is the spirit of error.

No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.

And his Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us.

And we have seen and do testify that the father hath sent his son, which is the saviour of the world.

And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.

And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.

All that believe that Jesus is Christ, are born of God. And all that loveth him which begat, loveth him also which was begotten of him.

Anything which comes from God is able to overcome the world: and the power by which we have overcome the world is our faith.

Who is it that overcometh the world: but he which believeth that Jesus is the son of God?

This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus, the Christ; not by water only, but by water and by blood; and the Spirit is that which testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

And there are three which bear witness upon earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are for the same one object.

If we take the witness of men to be true, the witness of God is greater: because this is the witness which God has given about his Son.

He who has faith in the Son of God has the witness in himself: he who has not faith in God makes him false, because he has not faith in the witness which God has given about his Son.

And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:

and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.

If a man sees his brother doing a sin which is not bad enough for death, let him make a prayer to God, and God will give life to him whose sin was not bad enough for death. There is a sin whose punishment is death: I do not say that he may make such a request then.

All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death [one can repent of it and be forgiven].