4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared in order to take away ‡ our ¦ — CTour sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him continues in sin; no one who continues in sin has either seen him or known him. 7  § Little children ¦ Children ECM NA28Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. 8 Whoever practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who has been born of God continues in sin, because God's seed abides in him; he cannot continue in sin, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil, but the deeds of his brother were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, * my ¦ — CTmy brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love † his brother 79.9% ¦ — CT 3.7%his brother abides in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know ‡ love ¦ the love of God SCRlove, that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18  § My little ¦ Little CTMy little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth.

19 By this * we … can reassure ¦ we will … reassure CTwe know that we are of the truth and can reassure our hearts before him: 20 If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn † us ¦ — WHus, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he ‡ commanded ¦ commanded us CT TRcommanded. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God abides in him. And we know that he abides in us because of the Spirit he has given us.