Jesus Our Advocate 1 UST You are as dear to me as though you were my own children. Therefore, I am writing this to you to keep you from sinning. But if any of you does sin,{ remember that} Jesus the Messiah, the righteous one, pleads with the Father{ and asks him to forgive us}. BSB BSB: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2 UST Jesus is the one who sacrificed his life for us so that God could forgive our sins. And this is true not just of our sins, but of all the sins that all people everywhere have committed! BSB BSB: He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 UST When we obey what God commands us to do, then we can be sure that we truly know God. BSB BSB: By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
4 UST If someone says,“I know God well,” but that person does not obey what God has commanded, then he is a liar. He is not living according to God’ s true message. BSB BSB: If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 UST But if someone obeys what God has commanded, that person loves God in every way. This is how we can be sure that we are living closely with God: BSB BSB: But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:
6 UST If anyone says that he is living closely with God, then he should conduct his life as Jesus did{ when he was here on earth}. BSB BSB: Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.
A New Commandment 7 UST Dear friends, I am not writing this to tell you to do something new. Instead, I am writing this to tell you to do something that you have known that you should do since you first believed{ in Jesus}. This is{ part of} the message that{ Jesus gave to us and that} we have already told to you. BSB BSB: Beloved, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old one, which you have had from the beginning. This commandment is the message you have heard.
8 UST However, if we think about this in another way, I am telling you to do something new. It is new because the way that the Messiah lived was new, and the way that you are living is new. That is because you are ceasing to do evil, and you are doing good more and more. It is as though you have come out of a dark place and have begun to live in the light that is from God. BSB BSB: Then again, I am also writing to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.
9 UST Someone might say that he is living in a good way, just as God wants him to do. That would be like living in light from God. But if he hates any of his fellow believers, then he is still living in a bad way, doing what God does not want, like a person who lives in darkness. BSB BSB: If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.
10 UST But if someone loves his fellow believers, then he is truly living well, like a person who is living in light from God. He will not have a reason to do anything evil{ as he would have if he hated a fellow believer}. This is like a person in daylight who has no reason to trip over anything. BSB BSB: Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.
11 UST But anyone who hates a fellow believer is living in a completely wrong way. He does not understand how he should live, because the wrong things that he is doing are keeping him from understanding God’ s way. It is as though he is walking in darkness and cannot see where to go. BSB BSB: But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 UST I am writing to you, whom I love as though you were my own children, because God has forgiven your sins because of what Jesus has done for you. BSB BSB: I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven through His name.
13 UST I am writing to you who have been believers longer than the others. I am writing to you because you are living closely with{ Jesus,} the person who has always been alive. I am writing to you newer, but steadfast, believers because Satan, that evil being, has tried to tempt you to do wrong, but you have successfully resisted him. BSB BSB: I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
14 UST I have written to you whom I love as though you were my own little children because you have a close relationship with God the Father. I have written to you who have been believers longer than the others because you have a close relationship with{ Jesus,} the person who has always been alive. I have written to you newer, but steadfast, believers because you are spiritually strong. I have also written to you because you continue to obey what God commands and because you have successfully resisted{ Satan,} that evil being, when he tried to tempt you to do wrong. BSB BSB: I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Do Not Love the World 15 UST Do not desire to be like people who do not honor God. Do not desire the things that they want to have. If anyone desires to be like those people,{ he is proving that} he does not love God the Father. BSB BSB: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 UST { I say that such a person does not love God the Father} because the way that ungodly people live is not the way that God our Father teaches us to live. They want to fulfill their physical desires. They want to get for themselves the things that they see. They boast about all of the things that they own. All of these things come from the selfish and ungodly way of thinking. BSB BSB: For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
17 UST The people who do not honor God will disappear, along with all of the things that they desire. But the people who do what God wants them to do will live forever! BSB BSB: The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.
Beware of Antichrists 18 UST You who are as dear to me as though you were my own children,{ I want you to know that} this is the time just before Jesus returns to earth. You have already heard that a person is coming who will strongly oppose the Messiah. In fact, many people like that, who are against the true Messiah, are already here. Because of this, we know that it is that time. BSB BSB: Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.
20 UST But as for you, the Holy Messiah has given you his Spirit. As a result, you all know{ what is true}. BSB BSB: You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
21 UST I am not writing this letter to you because you do not know the true things{ that God has told us}, but because you do know them. You also know enough to recognize and reject every lie that is not one of the true things{ that God has told us}. BSB BSB: I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth.
23 UST Those who refuse to acknowledge that Jesus is God’ s Son are in no way joined with God the Father. But those who acknowledge that Jesus is God’ s Son are also joined with God the Father. BSB BSB: Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
Remain in Christ 24 UST Here is what you must do{, unlike those people who deny Jesus}. You must continue to believe and live by the truth about Jesus the Messiah that you first heard. If you continue to believe and live by the truth about Jesus the Messiah that you first heard, then you will continue to share life with Jesus the Son and God the Father. BSB BSB: As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father.
25 UST And what Jesus promised us is that God will enable us to live forever! BSB BSB: And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.
26 UST I am writing this letter to you to warn you about people who want to deceive you{ about Jesus}. BSB BSB: I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 UST Here is what you should do{ about those people who are trying to deceive you}. God’ s Spirit, whom you received from Jesus, continues to live in you. So you do not need anyone else to be your teacher. God’ s Spirit is teaching you everything{ that you need to know}. He always teaches the truth and never says anything that is false. So continue to live in the way that he has taught you and continue to live closely with Jesus. BSB BSB: And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
28 UST Now, my dear ones,{ I urge you to} continue to live closely with Jesus. That way, when he comes back again, we will be confident{ that he will accept us}.{ If we do that,} we will not be ashamed to stand before him when he returns. BSB BSB: And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
29 UST You know that God always does what is right. Because of that, you also know that all those who continue doing what is right are the ones who have become God’ s spiritual children. BSB BSB: If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.