1 John 3:5-15

5 You know that 1he appeared to 2take away sins, and 3in him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; 4no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
7 Little children, 5let no one deceive you. 6Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 7Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was 8to destroy the works of the devil.
9 9No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[a] seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, 10nor is the one who 11does not love his brother.

Love One Another

11 For 12this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, 13that we should love one another.
12 We should not be like 14Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? 15Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brothers,[b]16that the world hates you.
14 We know that 17we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
15 18Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that 19no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Cross References 19

  • 1. Hebrews 9:26; See 1 John 1:2
  • 2. [Isaiah 53:11, 12]
  • 3. See 1 Peter 2:22
  • 4. 1 John 2:4; 1 John 4:8; 3 John 11
  • 5. 1 John 2:26
  • 6. 1 John 2:29
  • 7. Matthew 13:38; John 8:44
  • 8. Hebrews 2:14; [Genesis 3:15; Luke 10:18; John 16:11]
  • 9. 1 John 5:18
  • 10. 1 John 4:8
  • 11. 1 John 4:20, 21
  • 12. 1 John 1:5; 1 John 2:24
  • 13. See John 13:34
  • 14. Genesis 4:4, 8; Hebrews 11:4; Jude 11
  • 15. Psalms 38:20; Proverbs 29:10
  • 16. John 15:18; John 17:14
  • 17. John 5:24
  • 18. Matthew 5:21, 22
  • 19. Galatians 5:21; Revelation 21:8

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Greek his
  • [b]. Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated "brothers") refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God's family, the church; also verses 14, 16
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.