Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.

If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

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.

I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

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

(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.

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness -- the one who does not love his fellow Christian -- is not of God.

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

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him.

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.

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

They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world's perspective and the world listens to them.

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.

By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world.

For there are three that testify,

the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement.

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.