1 John 3

1 [Think about] how much our [heavenly] Father loves us! He allows us to (say that we are/be called) his children! [And it is indeed true that] we are [his children. But people in] the world [MTY] [who are unbelievers] have not understood [who] God [is]. So they do not understand [who we are], that we [belong to God].

Behold what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we may be called children of God. Because of this the world does not know you, because it did not know him.

2 Dear friends, even though (at present/now) we are God’s children, [he] has not yet (made clear/revealed) [to us] what we will be like [in the future]. However, we know that when [Christ] comes back again, we will be like him, because we will see what he is [really] like.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet made known what we will be. But we know that whenever he is made known we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

3 [So], all those who confidently expect [to see Christ as he actually is/what Christ is like when he returns] must keep themselves pure in every way, just like Christ, who is pure in every way.

And every man who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that man is pure.

4 But everyone who continues sinning is refusing to obey [God’s] laws, because that is what sin is, refusing to obey [God’s] laws.

Every man doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

5 You know that Christ came in order to completely remove [the guilt of] our sins. You know also that he never sinned.

And ye know that that man was made known so that he might take up our sins. And in him is no sin.

6 Those who continue [doing what] Christ wants them to, do not continue sinning repeatedly. But those who repeatedly sin have not understood [who Christ is], nor have they had a close relationship with him.

Every man abiding in him does not sin. Every man who is sinning has not seen him, nor has known him.

7 [So I urge you, ] who are all very dear to me, do not let anyone deceive you [by telling you that it is all right to sin]. If you continue doing what is right, you are righteous, just like Christ is righteous.

Little children, let no man lead you astray. He who is doing righteousness is righteous, just as that man is righteous.

8 [But] if anyone continues sinning, he is like the devil, because the devil has always been sinning. [And] the reason why God’s Son became a human being was to destroy what the devil has done.

He who is doing sin is of the devil, because the devil sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was made known for this, so that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 People do not continue sinning repeatedly if they have become children of God. Instead, [they] continue [to conduct their lives according to the character/nature that God produced in them] [MET]. They cannot continually sin because God has caused them to become his children.

Every man who has been begotten of God is not doing sin, because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.

10 Those who are God’s children are clearly different from those who are (the devil’s/Satan’s) children. [The way that we can know who are Satan’s children is this]: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children. [Specifically], those who do not love their fellow believers are not [God’s children Instead, they are Satan’s children].

By this the children of God are visible, and the children of the devil. Every man not doing righteousness is not of God, and he who is not loving his brother.

11 The message that you heard when you first [MTY] [believed in Christ] is that we should love each other.

Because this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love each other.

12 [We should] not [hate others] as did [Adam’s son], Cain, who belonged to [Satan], the evil one. [Because Cain hated his younger brother], he murdered him. (I will tell you about why he murdered his brother./Do you know why he murdered his brother [RHQ]?) It was because Cain habitually conducted his life in an evil way, and [he hated his younger brother] because his [younger] brother [conducted his life] righteously.

Not as Cain. He was of the wicked, and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were wrong, and his brother's right.

13 You should not be amazed/surprised, my fellow believers, when [unbelievers] [MTY] hate you.

Marvel not, my brothers, if the world hates you.

14 We know that we have been changed from [being spiritually] dead [MET] to [being spiritually] alive. We know this because we love our fellow believers. [Those who] do not love [their fellow believers] are still [spiritually] [MET] dead.

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who is not loving the brother abides in death.

15 Those who hate [any of] their fellow believers, [God considers] [MET] them [to be] murderers. And you know that no murderer has eternal life. (aiōnios g166)

Every man hating his brother is a man-killer. And ye know that no man-killer has eternal life abiding in him. (aiōnios g166)

16 The way that we now know [how to truly] love [our fellow believers is by remembering] that Christ (voluntarily died/gave his life) for us. So, [when our fellow believers need something, we should be willing to help them. We should even be willing to] die for them.

By this we know love, because that man laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

17 Many [of us] have the things that are necessary for us to live in this world. If we become aware that any of our fellow believers do not have what they need and [if we] refuse to ([provide for them/give to them what they need]), it is clear that we do not love God [as we claim/say that we do].

But whoever has the world's living, and sees his brother having need, and closes his bowels from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

18 [I say to] all of you whom I love dearly, let us not merely say [MTY] that [we love our fellow believers!] Let us genuinely/really love them by doing things [to help them]!

My little children, we should not love in word, nor with the tongue, but in deed and in truth.

19 When we [truly love our fellow believers], we can be sure that we are [conducting our lives according to] the true message. [As a result], we will not feel guilty/ashamed [when we talk] [MTY] to God.

And by this we know that we are of the truth, and will assure our hearts before him.

20 [We can pray confidently], because [although] we might feel guilty/ashamed [about our sins], God is (greater/more worthy to be trusted) than what we feel. He knows everything [about us].

Because if our heart should condemn us, that God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

21 Dear friends, when we do not feel guilty [because of our sins], we can pray to God confidently.

Beloved, if our heart should not condemn us, we have confidence toward God,

22 And, when we confidently pray to him and request [something from him], we receive it because we do what he commands [us to do], and because we do what pleases him.

and whatever we may ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do things pleasing in his sight.

23 [I will tell you] what he commands [us to do]: [We must] believe that Jesus Christ is (his Son/the one who is also God). [We must] also love each other, just like he commanded [us to do].

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love each other, just as he gave command.

24 Those who do what God commands are ones who have a close relationship with God, and God has a close relationship with them. [I will tell you how] we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us: It is because [we have] his Spirit, whom he gave to us, that we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us.

And he who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, from the Spirit that he gave us.