1 John 2:9-19

9 Anyone who says, "I am in the light," but hates a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.

10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light and will not cause anyone to stumble in his faith.

11 But whoever hates a brother or sister is in darkness, lives in darkness, and does not know where to go, because the darkness has made that person blind.

12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ.

13 I write to you, parents, because you know the One who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.

14 I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, parents, because you know the One who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong; the teaching of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.

16 These are the ways of the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world.

17 The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever.

18 My dear children, these are the last days. You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming, and now many enemies of Christ are already here. This is how we know that these are the last days.

19 These enemies of Christ were in our fellowship, but they left us. They never really belonged to us; if they had been a part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, and this shows that none of them really belonged to us.