3:1 See how great a love God has given to us, that we should be called servants of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.

3:2 Beloved, now we are servants of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that on the day of resurrection we will be honored in his presence.

3:3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

3:4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

3:5 You know that he was sent to turn us away from our sins, and no sin is in him.

3:6 Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him.

3:7 Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the messenger of God was sent: that he might destroy the works of the devil.

3:9 Whoever is of God doesn’t persist in sin, because his guidance remains in him, and he can’t persist in sin, because he is of God.

3:10 In this the servants of God are revealed, and the followers of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.

3:11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another—

3:12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

3:13 Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.

3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

3:16 By this we know love, because he was ready to lay down his life for the righteous. And we ought to be ready to lay down our lives for the brothers.

3:17 But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?

3:18 My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

3:19 And by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him,

3:20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

3:21 Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;

3:22 so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

3:23 This is his commandment, that we should believe in his messenger, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.

3:24 He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.