Christ Our Advocate
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My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, 1we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
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2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but 3also for the sins of the whole world.
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And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we 4keep his commandments.
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Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments 5is a liar, and 6the truth is not in him,
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but whoever 7keeps his word, in him truly 8the love of God is perfected. 9By this we may know that we are in him:
The New Commandment
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Beloved, I am writing you 12no new commandment, but 13an old commandment 14that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
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At the same time, it is 15a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, becausea16the darkness is passing away and 17the true light is already shining.
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Whoever says he is in the light and 18hates his brother is still in darkness.
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But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and 20walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
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I am writing to you, little children, because 21your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
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I am writing to you, fathers, because you know 22him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because 23you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because 24you know the Father.
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I write to you, fathers, because you know 25him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because 26you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Do Not Love the World
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27Do not love the world or the things in the world. 28If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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For all that is in the world--29the desires of the flesh and 30the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.
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And 31the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Warning Concerning Antichrists
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Children, 32it is the last hour, and as you have heard that 33antichrist is coming, so now 34many antichrists have come. 35Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
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36They went out from us, but they were not of us; for 37if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, 38that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
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I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
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Who is the liar but 42he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is 43the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
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44No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
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Let 45what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then 46you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
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I write these things to you about 48those who are trying to deceive you.
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But 49the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and 50you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and 51is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Children of God
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)