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For 1this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, 2that we should love one another.
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We should not be like 3Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? 4Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
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Do not be surprised, brothers,5that the world hates you.
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We know that 6we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
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7Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that 8no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
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By this we know love, that 9he laid down his life for us, and 10we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
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But 11if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet 12closes his heart against him, 13how does God's love abide in him?
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Little children, let us not 14love in word or talk but in deed and 15in truth.
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By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
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for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
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Beloved, 16if our heart does not condemn us, 17we have confidence before God;
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and 18whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and 19do what pleases him.
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And this is his commandment, 20that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and 21love one another, 22just as he has commanded us.
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23Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And 24by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.