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3:1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God;and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now;it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3:3 And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 3:4 Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness;sin is lawlessness. 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 3:6 No one who abides in him sins;no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. 3:8 He who commits sin is of the devil;for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared wasto destroy the works of the devil. 3:9 No one born of God commits sin;for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. 3:10 By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right isnot of God, nor he who does not love his brother. 3:11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 3:12 and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deedswere evil and his brother's righteous. 3:13 Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 3:15 Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us;and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 3:17 But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. 3:19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him 3:20 whenever our hearts condemn us;for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 3:21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 3:22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 3:23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 3:24 All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.