CHAPTER 1

Saints gain fellowship with God by obedience—We must confess our sins to gain forgiveness.

1 aTHAT• which was from the bbeginning•, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the cWord of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and ashew• unto you that beternal• life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3 That which we have aseen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our bfellowship is with the cFather•, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things awrite we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is alight•, and in him is no bdarkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and awalk in bdarkness•, we lie, and do not the truth:

7 But if we awalk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the bblood• of Jesus Christ his Son ccleanseth• us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have ano• bsin, we cdeceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we aconfess our sins, he is faithful and bjust to cforgive us our sins, and to dcleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have anot• sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

CHAPTER 2

Christ is our Advocate with the Father—We know God by obedience—Love not the world—Antichrists shall come in the last days.

1 MY little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. aAnd• if any man sin, we have an badvocate• with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the apropitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole bworld•.

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we akeep• his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his acommandments•, is a bliar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoso akeepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are bin• him.

6 He that saith he aabideth• in him ought himself also so to bwalk•, even as he walked.

7 aBrethren•, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, awhich• thing is true in him and in you: because the bdarkness is cpast•, and the true dlight• now shineth.

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

10 He that aloveth• his bbrother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and awalketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

12 I awrite unto you, little bchildren•, because your sins are forgiven you cfor• his dname•’s sake.

13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

15 Love not the aworld, neither the things that are in the bworld. If any man love the world, the clove• of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the alust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the bpride• of life, is not of the Father, but is of the cworld•.

17 And the aworld• bpasseth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the cwill of God dabideth• for ever.

18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that aantichrist shall come, even now are there many bantichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

20 But ye have an aunction• from the bHoly One, and ye know all things.

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a aliar• but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is bantichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that aacknowledgeth• the Son hath the Father also.

24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the abeginning• shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the apromise• that he hath promised us, even beternal• life.

26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that aseduce• you.

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man ateach• you: but as the same banointing cteacheth• you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth arighteousness is bborn of him.

CHAPTER 3

Sons of God shall become like Christ—Love for the brethren required to gain eternal life—Obedience assures us an answer to our prayers.

1 BEHOLD, what manner of alove the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the bsons• of God: therefore the cworld knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the asons• of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall bappear•, we shall be clike• him; for we shall dsee• him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this ahope in him bpurifieth himself, even as he is cpure•.

4 Whosoever committeth sin atransgresseth also the law: for bsin is the transgression of the law.

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our asins; and in him is no sin.

6 Whosoever abideth in him asinneth not: bwhosoever• sinneth hath not seen him, neither cknown• him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He that acommitteth• bsin is of the devil; for the devil csinneth• from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the ddevil.

9 Whosoever is aborn of God bdoth• not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 In this the children of God are amanifest•, and the bchildren• of the devil: whosoever doeth not crighteousness• is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

11 For this is the amessage• that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12 Not as aCain•, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

14 We know that we have passed from death unto alife•, because we love the bbrethren•. He that cloveth not his brother abideth in ddeath.

15 Whosoever ahateth• his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no bmurderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16 Hereby perceive we the alove• bof• God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his abrother• have bneed•, and cshutteth• up his bowels of dcompassion• from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, aneither• in tongue; but in bdeed and in truth.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and aknoweth all things.

21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we aconfidence• toward God.

22 And whatsoever we aask, we receive of him, because we bkeep• his ccommandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

23 And this is his acommandment, That we should bbelieve on the cname• of his Son Jesus Christ, and dlove one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments adwelleth• in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he babideth• in us, by the cSpirit• which he hath given us.

CHAPTER 4

Try the spirits—God is love and dwells in those who love him.

1 BELOVED, believe not every aspirit•, but btry• the cspirits whether they are of God: because many dfalse prophets are gone out into the world.

2 Hereby aknow ye the bSpirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the cflesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is anot• of God: and this is that spirit of bantichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the aworld: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God: he that knoweth God aheareth• us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby bknow we the cspirit of truth, and the spirit of derror•.

7 Beloved, let us alove one another: for blove is of God; and every one that loveth is cborn of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not aknoweth• not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might alive• through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he aloved• us, and bsent his Son to be the cpropitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 aNo• man hath bseen• God at any time. If we love one another, cGod• ddwelleth• in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 Hereby know we that we adwell• in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and do atestify that the Father bsent the Son to be the cSaviour of the dworld•.

15 Whosoever shall aconfess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that adwelleth• in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he ais, so are we in this world.

18 There is no afear• in blove; but perfect clove casteth out fear: because fear hath dtorment•. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We alove him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and ahateth his bbrother, he is a cliar: for he that loveth not his dbrother• whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not eseen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who aloveth God love his brother also.

CHAPTER 5

Saints are born of God through belief in Christ—Water, blood, and Spirit testify of Christ—Belief in Christ required in order to gain eternal life.

1 WHOSOEVER believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

2 By this we know that we alove the bchildren of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the alove of God, that we bkeep• his commandments: and his commandments are not cgrievous•.

4 For whatsoever is aborn• of God bovercometh• the world: and this is the cvictory• that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that aovercometh• the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that acame by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the bSpirit• that beareth cwitness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the aFather, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are bone.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the aSpirit•, and the water, and the bblood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the awitness• of men, the bwitness of God is greater: for this is the cwitness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that abelieveth on the Son of God hath the bwitness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the crecord• that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us aeternal life, and this blife• is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I awritten• unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal blife•, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his awill, he bheareth• us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we aask, we know that we have the petitions that we bdesired• of him.

16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

17 All unrighteousness is asin: and there is a bsin• not unto death.

18 We know that whosoever is aborn of God bsinneth• not; but he that is begotten of God ckeepeth• himself, and that dwicked• one toucheth him not.

19 And we know that we are of aGod, and the whole bworld• lieth in cwickedness.

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and aeternal• life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.