New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
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See what great love the Father has given us in naming us the children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not see who we are, because it did not see who he was.
2 Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
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My loved ones, now we are children of God, and at present it is not clear what we are to be. We are certain that at his revelation we will be like him; for we will see him as he is.
3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
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And everyone who has this hope in him makes himself holy, even as he is holy.
4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
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Everyone who is a sinner goes against the law, for sin is going against the law.
5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
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And you have knowledge that he came to take away sin: and in him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.
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Anyone who is in him does no sin; anyone who is a sinner has not seen him and has no knowledge of him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
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My little children, let no man take you out of the true way: he who does righteousness is upright, even as he is upright;
8 Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
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The sinner is a child of the Evil One; for the Evil One has been a sinner from the first. And the Son of God was seen on earth so that he might put an end to the works of the Evil One.
9 Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God.
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Anyone who is a child of God does no sin, because he still has God's seed in him; he is not able to be a sinner, because God is his Father.
10 The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.
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In this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
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Because this is the word which was given to you from the first, that we are to have love for one another;
12 We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
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Not being of the Evil One like Cain, who put his brother to death. And why did he put him to death? Because his works were evil and his brother's works were good.
13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you.
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Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world has no love for you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death.
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We are conscious that we have come out of death into life because of our love for the brothers. He who has no love is still in death.
15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.
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Anyone who has hate for his brother is a taker of life, and you may be certain that no taker of life has eternal life in him.
16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.
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In this we see what love is, because he gave his life for us; and it is right for us to give our lives for the brothers.
17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
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But if a man has this world's goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
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My little children, do not let our love be in word and in tongue, but let it be in act and in good faith.
19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him
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In this way we may be certain that we are true, and may give our heart comfort before him,
20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
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When our heart says that we have done wrong; because God is greater than our heart, and has knowledge of all things.
21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God;
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My loved ones, if our heart does not say that we have done wrong, we have no fear before him;
22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
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And he gives us all our requests, because we keep his laws and do the things which are pleasing in his eyes.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
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And this is his law, that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love for one another, even as he said to us.
24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
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He who keeps his laws is in God and God is in him. And the Spirit which he gave us is our witness that he is in us.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.