1 John 2:12-22

12 I am writing to you, little children, because ¹your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.

13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know ²him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because ³you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because ⁴you know the Father.

14 I write to you, fathers, because you know ⁵him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because ⁶you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

15 ⁷Do not love the world or the things in the world. ⁸If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world— ⁹the desires of the flesh and ¹⁰the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world.

17 And ¹¹the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Warning Concerning Antichrists

18 Children, ¹²it is the last hour, and as you have heard that ¹³antichrist is coming, so now ¹⁴many antichrists have come. ¹⁵Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

19 ¹⁶They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ¹⁷if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, ¹⁸that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

20 But you have been ¹⁹anointed by ²⁰the Holy One, and ²¹you all have knowledge. ^[b]

21 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.

22 Who is the liar but ²²he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is ²³the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

Cross References

• 1. 2:12 Luke 24:47; Acts 10:43; 13:38
• 2. 2:13 [ch. 1:1]
• 3. 2:13 Eph. 6:10; [ch. 5:4, 5]
• 4. 2:13 John 14:7
• 5. 2:14 [See ver. 13 above]
• 6. 2:14 [See ver. 13 above]
• 7. 2:15 [Rom. 12:2; 2 Tim. 4:10]
• 8. 2:15 See James 4:4
• 9. 2:16 Rom. 13:14; Eph. 2:3; 1 Pet. 4:2; 2 Pet. 2:18
• 10. 2:16 Eccles. 4:8; 5:11
• 11. 2:17 See 1 Cor. 7:31
• 12. 2:18 [2 Tim. 3:1; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 18]
• 13. 2:18 ver. 22; ch. 4:3; 2 John 7; [Matt. 24:5, 24]
• 14. 2:18 [ch. 4:1; Matt. 24:5]
• 15. 2:18 1 Tim. 4:1
• 16. 2:19 Deut. 13:13; Acts 20:30
• 17. 2:19 See John 17:12
• 18. 2:19 1 Cor. 11:19
• 19. 2:20 ver. 27; [2 Cor. 1:21]
• 20. 2:20 See Mark 1:24
• 21. 2:20 ver. 27; See John 14:26
• 22. 2:22 ch. 4:3; 2 John 7
• 23. 2:22 [See ver. 18 above]

Footnotes

• [a] 2:16 Or 'pride in possessions'
• [b] 2:20 Some manuscripts 'you know everything'