1
See what love the Father has lavished on us in letting us be called God's children! For that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it has not known him.
2
Dear friends, we are God's children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will become. We do know that when he appears, we will be like him; because we will see him as he really is.
3
And everyone who has this hope in him continues purifying himself, since God is pure.
4
Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah - indeed, sin is violation of Torah.
5
You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.
6
So no one who remains united with him continues sinning; everyone who does continue sinning has neither seen him nor known him.
7
Children, don't let anyone deceive you - it is the person that keeps on doing what is right who is righteous, just as God is righteous.
8
The person who keeps on sinning is from the Adversary, because from the very beginning the Adversary has kept on sinning. It was for this very reason that the Son of God appeared, to destroy these doings of the Adversary.
9
No one who has God as his Father keeps on sinning, because the seed planted by God remains in him. That is, he cannot continue sinning, because he has God as his Father.
10
Here is how one can distinguish clearly between God's children and those of the Adversary: everyone who does not continue doing what is right is not from God. Likewise, anyone who fails to keep loving his brother is not from God.
11
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning: that we should love each other