If, while we are living in darkness, we profess to have fellowship with Him, we speak falsely and are not adhering to the truth.

But whoever obeys His Message, in him love for God has in very deed reached perfection. By this we can know that we are in Him.

And yet I *am* giving you a new command, for such it really is, so far as both He and you are concerned: because the darkness is now passing away and the light, the true light, is already beginning to shine.

I am writing to you, dear children, because for His sake your sins are forgiven you.

I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the very beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and God's Message still has a place in your hearts, and you have overcome the Evil one.

I have written to you, not because you are ignorant of the truth, but because you know it, and you know that nothing false comes from the truth.

I have thus written to you concerning those who are leading you astray.

And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains within you, and there is no need for any one to teach you. But since His anointing gives you instruction in all things--and is true and is no falsehood--you are continuing in union with Him even as it has taught you to do.

See what marvellous love the Father has bestowed upon us--that we should be called God's children: and that is what we are. For this reason the world does not recognize us--because it has not known Him.

Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been fully revealed. We know that if Christ reappears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

For this is the Message you have heard from the beginning--that we are to love one another.

We are not to resemble Cain, who was a child of the Evil one and killed his own brother. And why did he kill him? Because his own actions were wicked and his brother's actions righteous.

And in this way we shall come to know that we are loyal to the truth, and shall satisfy our consciences in His presence

and whatever we ask for we obtain from Him, because we obey His commands and do the things which are pleasing in His sight.

And this is His command--that we are to believe in His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us to do.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers have gone out into the world.

As for you, dear children, you are God's children, and have successfully resisted them; for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

They are the world's children, and so their language is that of the world, and the world listens to them. We are God's children.

We can know that we are continuing in union with Him and that He is continuing in union with us, by the fact that He has given us a portion of His Spirit.

Our love will be manifested in all its perfection by our having complete confidence on the day of the Judgement; because just what He is, we also are in the world.

Love for God means obedience to His commands; and His commands are not irksome.

For there are three that give testimony-- the Spirit, the water, and the blood;

We know that we are children of God, and that 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 understanding so that we know the true One, and are in union with the true One--that is, we are in union with His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the Life of the Ages.