We know of the Lord's love by this, that he laid down his life for us; and we have a duty to lay down our lives for our brothers. But when a man has worldly means and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how can the love of God be in that man? Little children, let us love, not with talk and the tongue, but in action and truth.
By this we shall know that we are on the side of the truth, and in his presence persuade our hearts that, if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all. Dear friends, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God, and what we ask for we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, to believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ, and love each other, as he commanded us to do. And he who keeps his commandments abides in him and he abides in that man. And we know that he abides in us from the Spirit which he gave us.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The spirit of God is known by this: every spirit which acknowledges that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit which does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he was corning, and now he is already in the world.
But you are of God, little children, and you have overcome these false prophets, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world; they speak, therefore, from the world and the world listens to them. But we are of God; the man who knows God listens to us, the one who is not of God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Dear friends, let us love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is sprung from God and knows God. One who does not love does not know God, because God is love. The love of God was revealed among us by this, that God sent his only-begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. Love is in this, not in that we have loved God, but in that he loved us and sent his son as propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God so loved us we also have a duty to love each other. No one has ever seen God; if we love each other, God abides in us and his love is made perfect in us. We know that we abide in him, and he in us, by this fact, that he has given to us from his spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father sent his Son to be the savior of the world. If one acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. And we know and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. By this love is made perfect in us, so that we may have confidence on the Day of Judgment, because as he is in this world so also are we. There is no fear in love, but love that is perfect casts out fear; because fear involves punishment, but one who is afraid is not made perfect in love. We love, because he loved us first. If a man says: I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And we have this commandment from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten from God; and everyone who loves the begetter loves the one begotten from him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and carry out his commandments. For this is the love of God, to keep his co^^^dments; and his commandments are not burdensome, because everythingwhichis sprungfrom God overcomes the world. And this, our faith, is the victory that overcomes the world. Who is it who overcomes the world if not he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ; not in water alone but in water and blood. And the Spirit is what testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. Since there are three who testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are at one. If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is stronger, because it is God's testimony where he testified concerning his son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony within him; one who does not believe God makes him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony of God concerning his son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us life everlasting, and that life is in his son. He who has the son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
I write you this so that you may know that you have life everlasting, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence we have in his presence, that if we ask him for something that accords with his will he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we are given what we ask him for. If one sees his brother committing a sin which is not a deadly sin, he shall ask, and God will grant him his life. This is for those whose sin is not deadly. There is a sin which is deadly. I am not saying that he should pray for that kind. Every wrong is a sin, but there is sin which is not deadly.
We know that anyone born of God does no sin, but one who is born of God obeys him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and our whole world lies in the power of the evil one. We know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us the wit to know who is the true one. And we are under the true one, under his son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and life everlasting.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
The Second General Letter of John
1THE ELDER TO THE CHOSEN LADY and her children, whom I love in truth, and not I alone, but so also do all who know the truth, through the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
I was overjoyed to find that some of your children were going the way of truth as we have been commanded by the Father to do. And now I ask you, lady, as one who writes you no new commandment but the one we have had from the begining, that we should love each other. And this is love, to go according to his commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, to follow love. For many deceivers have come forth into the world, who do not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such is the deceiver and the antichrist. Look to yourselves, so as not to lose what we have done but receive your full reward. Whoever breaks forward and does not abide by the teaching of the Christ does not have God; the one who abides by his teaching has the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not take him into your house and do not give him any greeting; for anyone who gives him a greeting shares in his evil deeds.
Though I have much to write you about, I would rather not do it with paper and ink, but hope to be with you and speak to you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children of your chosen sister send you greetings.
The Third General Letter of John
1THE ELDER TO HIS BELOVED GAIUS, whom I love in truth. I pray, dear friend, that you are in good health and that all your condition is as good as is the condition of your soul. For I was overjoyed when some brothers arrived and testified to your true life, as you do indeed follow the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are following the truth. Dear friend, you are acting faithfully in what you are doing for our brothers, even those who are foreigners. They have testified to your love before the congregation. You will do well to help them on their way as God would wish you to; since they set out for the sake of his name, without taking any funds from pagans. So we have a duty to support such people so that we can all work together for the truth.