Dual Panel1My children, I am writing this to you so that you should not commit sin. But if anybody does, we have in Jesus Christ one who is acceptable to God and will plead our cause with the Father.
2He is himself a sacrifice to atone for our sins, and not ours only but the sins of the whole world.
3It is by keeping God's commands that we can be sure we know him.
4Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not obey his commands, is a liar and the truth is not in him;
5but whoever is obedient to his word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in him:
6whoever claims to be dwelling in him must live as Christ himself lived.
7Dear friends, it is no new command that I am sending you, but an old command which you have had from the beginning; the old command is the instruction which you have already received.
8Yet because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shining, it is a new command that I write and it is true in Christ's life and in yours.
9Whoever says, “I am in the light,” but hates his fellow-Christian, is still in darkness.
10He who loves his fellow-Christian dwells in light: there is no cause of stumbling in him.
11But anyone who hates his fellow is in darkness; he walks in the dark and has no idea where he is going, because the darkness has made him blind.
12I write to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven for his sake.
13I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is and has been from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
14I have written to you, fathers, because you know him who is and has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong; God's word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
15Do not set your hearts on the world or what is in it. Anyone who loves the world does not love the Father.
16Everything in the world, all that panders to the appetites or entices the eyes, all the arrogance based on wealth, these spring not from the Father but from the world.
17That world with all its allurements is passing away, but those who do God's will remain for ever.
The danger of false teaching
18CHILDREN, this is the last hour! You were told that an antichrist was to come. Well, many antichrists have already appeared, proof to us that this is indeed the last hour.
19They left our ranks, but never really belonged to us; if they had, they would have stayed with us. They left so that it might be clear that none of them belong to us.
20What is more, you have been anointed by the Holy One, and so you all have knowledge.
21It is not because you are ignorant of the truth that I have written to you, but because you do know it, and know that lies never come from the truth.
22Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is nothing but a liar. He is the antichrist, for he denies both the Father and the Son:
23to deny the Son is to be without the Father; to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father too.
24You must therefore keep hold of what you heard at the beginning; if what you heard then still dwells in you, you will yourselves dwell both in the Son and in the Father.
25And this is the promise that he himself gave us, the promise of eternal life.
26So much for those who would mislead you.
27But as for you, the anointing which you received from him remains with you; you need no other teacher, but you learn all you need to know from his anointing, which is true and no lie. Dwell in him as he taught you to do.
28Even now, children, dwell in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29You know that God is righteous; then recognize that everyone who does what is right is his child.