Common English Bible CEB
New Revised Standard NRS
16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
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We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.
17 But if a person has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and that person doesn't care—how can the love of God remain in him?
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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?
18 Little children, let's not love with words or speech but with action and truth.
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Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God's presence.
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And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him
20 Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.
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whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts don't condemn us, we have confidence in relationship to God.
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Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God;
22 We receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
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and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love each other as he commanded us.
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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.
24 The person who keeps his commandments remains in God and God remains in him; and this is how we know that he remains in us, because of the Spirit that he has given to us.
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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.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
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.