(1) See what kind of love the Father has given to you, that we should be called children of God,  and we are. On account of this, the world does not know us, since it did not know Him. (2) Beloved, we are already children of God, and it has not been made clear what we will be, we know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, since we shall see Him just as He is. (3) Everyone who has this hope in Him purify themselves, even as He is pure. (4) Everyone who sins practices lawlessness; namely, sin is lawlessness. (5) For you know that he appeared in order to take away sin, and no sin is in Him. (6) Everyone who remains in Him does not keep on sinning. Everyone who makes a habit of sinning [clearly] has neither seen Him nor knows Him.                  (7) Children, do not be led astray. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. (8) The one doing sin is from The Slanderer, for The Slanderer has been sinning from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed:  so that the works of The Slanderer would be destroyed. (9) Everyone born of God does not practice sin, since [God’s] seed remains in Him, and he is not able to sin because he is born of God. (10) By this it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of The Slanderer:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one not loving his brother. (11) For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; (12) not like Cain who was of the evil one and slayed his brother. And on what account did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil; but the deeds of his brother were righteous. (13) Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you, (14) for we know that we have passed over from death to life, because we love the brethren. The one who does not practice love remains in death. (15) Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that each murderer does not have everlasting life abiding in him. (16) In this we know the love [of God]:  he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (17) But whoever has worldly possessions and sees his brother in need and shuts off compassion toward him, how does the love of God abide in him? (18) Children, we should not love in word and speech [only], but in action and truth. (19) In this we shall know that we are of the truth, and shall encourage our heart before Him. (20) For if our heart should condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. (21) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us we have freedom in God (22) and whatever we ask we receive from Him since we keep His commands, and we are doing what is pleasing in His sight. (23) For this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us. (24) And the one who keeps his commands remains in Him and God in Him; and in this we know that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom he gave to us.