Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of Allah! For this reason the world does not know us, because it didn’t know him. 2Beloved, now we are children of Allah, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure. 4Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. 6Whoever resides in him does not sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him, neither knows him.
7Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8He who sins is of Iblis, for Iblis has been sinning from the beginning. To this end Ibn Allah was revealed, that he might destroy the works of Iblis. 9Whoever is born of Allah does not commit sin, because his seed resides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of Allah. 10In this the children of Allah are revealed, and the children of Iblis. Whoever does not do righteousness is not of Allah, neither is he who does not love his brother. 11For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12unlike Qabil, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love his brother resides in death. 15Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of Allah reside in him? 18My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth. 19And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him, 20because if our heart condemns us, Allah is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness toward Allah; 22and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, ‘Isa al-Masih, and love one another, even as he commanded. 24He who keeps his commandments resides in him, and he in him. By this we know that he resides in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.