Chapter 1
1 Jesus is the Word of life. He existed before God created the world. We were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry, and we heard what He taught. We were so close to Him that we could see Him and touch Him.
2 Jesus is the eternal life that God the Father gave to all of us. We were witnesses who saw everything Christ did when He was on the earth. So we tell you about this eternal life that the Father had and that Jesus brought to us.
3 We have a close relationship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. So we want you to join us in this fellowship. Then we will be able to share with you all that we have seen and heard.
4 We write you this letter so that you may be filled with perfect joy.
5 This is the Good News that Christ brought to us and that we would like to share with you. God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we sin and live in darkness, but at the same time we claim that we have fellowship with God, then we deceive ourselves and do not live according to the truth.
7 But if we live in the light as God does, we will confess our sins before Him, and we will not avoid fellowship with other believers. Then the blood of God’s Son Jesus Christ will cleanse us from every sin.
8 We must not say that we never sin. Otherwise, we will deceive ourselves and will turn away from the truth.
9 God is faithful and just. So He does not ignore sin, but He guarantees forgiveness. If we confess our sins, God will forgive them and cleanse us from every evil.
10 But if we claim that we never sin, we make God a liar. In this case, we reject His Word which says that everyone sins and needs forgiveness.
Chapter 2
1 My children, I am writing to you so that you make every effort to live holy lives and avoid sin. But if any of you sin, we have a righteous mediator, Jesus Christ, who represents us all before God the Father and who is always ready to help us.
2 Jesus became the redemptive sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us to God. His sacrifice was so great that it was enough to pay not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 We show that we know God when we obey the commandments that Jesus gave us.
4 The one who does not keep the commandments of Christ, but claims to know God lives in deception and does not follow the truth of God.
5 But the one who practices what Jesus taught shows that God’s love really fills his heart. In this way, we know that this person belongs to God.
6 So if anyone says that he has a close relationship with God, he should act like Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing to you about a new commandment. Instead, I am reminding you of a commandment that you know well and that you have followed from the first days of your coming to God. The Lord Jesus taught us to love one another from the very beginning of His ministry. And this is the same commandment that you have heard before.
8 Christ showed us what true love is when He gave His life for us. I am writing to you about the commandment that you already know. But because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can always see something new in this commandment. When we follow Christ’s example, the darkness will move away, and the true light will shine ever brighter and illuminate our lives.
9 If someone hates another person, but claims that he lives in the light, he is still in the darkness.
10 He who loves people lives in the light. Such a person will avoid situations that could push him to sin or cause harm to others.
11 Anyone who hates another person is in the darkness. He wanders in the darkness and does not know where he is going, because his hatred has blinded him so much that he is lost in total darkness.
12 My children, in this letter I would like to remind you that God forgave sins to all of you because of what Jesus Christ did.
13 Fathers, I am writing to you who are spiritually mature to emphasize that you have a deep understanding of the eternal God who gave life to everything that exists. Young believers, I am also writing to remind you that you have overcome the devil who is the source of evil.
14 Children, I am also writing to you who are just at the beginning of your spiritual journey to tell you that you already know God as your Father. Fathers, I want to emphasize once again that you already have a good understanding of who God is — who has no beginning and no end. Young believers, I want to remind you once again that you have overcome Satan, because God’s Word has filled your hearts and made you strong.
15 The people of this world created their own ideals and values that are contrary to God’s Word. So do not love the world or what it offers you. But the one who puts worldly values first rejects the love of God the Father and does not understand how much God loves him.
16 These are the things that the people of this world value. They follow the lustful desires that their sinful nature drives them to do. They envy the success of others and brag about their achievements to create an image of success and impress others. These things have nothing to do with God the Father. Only the people of this world live like that.
17 The time will come when the values of this world and its sinful desires will disappear. But those who do the will of God will live forever.
18 My children, we are living in the last days. You have heard that the antichrist is coming into this world. And already there are many who are hostile to Christ. That is why we understand that this is a sign that the last days have come.
19 Not everyone who calls himself our brother is really so. Some of them were with us at first, but they were never united with us. When they broke off the relationship with us and left us, it proved that they were not true followers of Christ. Otherwise, they would have stayed with us.
20 However you have an anointing of the Holy Spirit that will always help you discern truth from lies.
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it. So you will also be able to discern the truth from every lie.
22 The truth is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah who is the Savior of all people. So the one who does not accept this truth is a liar and an antichrist who goes against Christ. He rejects both God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
23 The one who does not acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God has nothing in common with Him or with God the Father. But the one who believes and confesses that Jesus is the Son of God belongs to Him as well as to God the Father.
24 Follow what we taught you from the beginning when you first came to God. If you believe what you heard from us, you will belong to both the Son and the Father.
25 Then God will fulfill His promise and give us eternal life.
26 I have written all this to you so that no one could mislead you.
27 I would like to remind you that you have an anointing from God that will always be with you. It teaches you the whole truth and never contradicts it. So do not listen to anyone who preaches anything what is not according to this anointing. Live according to what it has taught you.
28 So, my children, develop a close relationship with Christ and look forward to His return to the earth. And when that day comes, we will stand before Him boldly and we will not be ashamed of our actions.
29 You know that Jesus committed no sin. You should also know that every believer who is eager to do what is right is born of God.
Chapter 3
1 Do you understand why God calls us His children? He gave us His great love, and through this love we became His children. Now we know that God is our Father. But the people of this world do not know God, so they do not understand us, His children.
2 Dear friends, even though we are God’s children now, we do not yet know what we will be like when we see Christ face to face and understand who He really is. But one thing we do know is that God will transform us, and we will become like Him.
3 Jesus showed us an example of how to live righteously. So the one who trusts in the Lord and looks forward to the day when He returns to the earth will overcome his sinful habits and make efforts to live holy.
4 But the one who sins does evil and breaks God’s commandments. So what is sin? Sin is a crime against God, a violation of His commandments and His will.
5 You know that Christ was born without sin. And He came to the earth to take our sins on Himself.
6 The one who has a close relationship with Jesus does not sin as he used to sin, but makes efforts to overcome his sinful habits. But the one who does not change his way of life and continues to live in sin does not understand who Jesus is and does not know Him.
7 My children, do not let anyone deceive you. The one who is eager to do what is right shows that he is righteous, like Christ.
8 But the one who does not change his way of life, but continues to sin acts like the devil who first committed sin. But the Son of God came to the earth to destroy what Satan does in people’s lives.
9 The one who is born of God does not sin as he used to sin, because God’s seed in him has changed his heart. So such a person can no longer live in sin, because God became his Father.
10 How can we distinguish between God’s children and the devil’s children? A person who is not eager to do what is right and also does not love others does not belong to God.
11 This is the Good News you heard from the beginning when you came to God: we should love one another.
12 Do not act like Cain who yielded to evil and killed his brother Abel. What drove him to murder? Cain did evil and hated Abel for doing what was right. That is why Cain killed his brother.
13 My brothers, you should not be surprised if you encounter hatred from those who live according to the principles of this world.
14 When we were spiritually dead and followed the world’s standards, we did not love those who believed in Christ. But now we received spiritual life, and we treat one another with love. This is how we know that we have passed from death to life. But if someone does not love other believers, he is still in spiritual death.
15 The one who hates his brother in Christ becomes a murderer in the eyes of God. Hatred and eternal life do not go together, and hatred equals murder. And you know that no murderer can have eternal life.
16 We understand what true love is because Jesus gave His life for us. So we should follow His example and be willing to sacrifice ourselves for other believers.
17 Suppose someone has an opportunity to help others. But when he sees a brother in Christ who is in need, he shows him no compassion. In that case, can we say that the heart of such a person is filled with God’s love?
18 My children, do not just say that you love one another. Instead, show true love not just in words, but through your deeds.
19 If we live according to the teaching of the truth, we will not feel guilty in our hearts. And we know that we can come to God with confidence.
20 However we do not always understand why our hearts may condemn us. But God knows everything about us and understands us better than we do. So He can show us the reason why we are feeling guilty.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we can boldly come to God in prayer.
22 If we keep God’s commandments and do God’s will, we will receive from God whatever we ask.
23 These are the commandments God has given us. First, we must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And second, we must love one another as Christ taught us.
24 The one who keeps these commandments has a close relationship with God, and God fills his life. We know that God lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom He gave us.
Chapter 4
1 Dear friends, there are many false prophets everywhere in the world who speak under the guidance of unclean spirits. So do not believe everyone who claims to be a prophet. Instead, test whether the Spirit of God truly lives in such people.
2 How can you tell the difference between a true prophet who is filled with God’s Spirit and a false prophet who is controlled by the spirit of deception? The one who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came to the earth as a man is from God, and God’s Spirit lives in him.
3 But the one who claims to be a prophet, but does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ was born as a man does not belong to God and is filled with the spirit of the antichrist. You have already heard that the antichrist is coming, and his spirit has already begun to work in this world.
4 My children, you belong to God. So you have the power that enables you not to be deceived by false prophets. God lives in you, and He is stronger than the spirit of the antichrist and every evil that works in this world.
5 Those who spread false teachings belong to the world that does not believe in Christ. So when they teach what the people of this world value, society accepts it and listens to them.
6 We belong to God. So the one who truly knows God listens to us and accepts our teaching. But the one who is not of God rejects what we teach. In this way, we can distinguish between those who are filled with God’s Spirit and follow the truth and those who are controlled by the spirit of deception.
7 Dear friends, let’s love one another, because love is a gift from God. The one who loves others is spiritually born of God and truly knows Him.
8 God is love. So the one who does not show love to others does not know God.
9 God showed how much He loves us when He sent His only Son into the world, and through Him we received life.
10 God’s love is not a response to our love. Instead, God loved us long before we began to love Him. And He showed His love by sending His Son to sacrifice His life and pay for our sins.
11 Dear friends, if God loves us so much, we should also love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God. However if we love one another, it shows that God fills our lives. And His perfect love is shown through our love for others.
13 We know that we have a close relationship with God, and that He fills our lives, because He gave us His Spirit.
14 We have seen Jesus Christ and have witnessed that the Father sent His Son to the earth to be the Savior of the whole world.
15 The life of a person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God is filled with God, and such a person belongs to God.
16 We believe that God loves us because we have experienced His love. God is love. So the one who is filled with His love and acts according to love has a close relationship with God, and God is present in the life of such a person.
17 God’s perfect love transforms us so much that we can follow Jesus’ example and live in this world like He did. So when the day of God’s judgment comes, we will not be afraid. Instead, we will be able to stand boldly before God and feel no shame for our actions.
18 The one who is sure that God loves him has nothing to fear. God’s perfect love drives away the fear that causes suffering and that is associated with punishment for sin. The one who is not filled with God’s perfect love will not be able to act like Jesus. Such a person will fear that God will reject him and punish him for his sins.
19 We should love God in response to the fact that He first loved us.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates another person, he is lying. The one who does not love a person he can see cannot love God whom he cannot see.
21 This is the commandment that Jesus gave us. The one who loves God should also love others.
Chapter 5
1 The one who believes that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth to be the Messiah and Savior of the world is spiritually born of God. So if a person loves God the Father, he will also love His Son and all who belong to God’s family.
2 If we truly love God and obey His commandments, it means that we will also show love for other believers who, like us, are born of God and have become His children.
3 We show that we love God by keeping His commandments which are not difficult or burdensome.
4 The one who is spiritually born of God will be able to overcome all the evil that fills this world. Our faith helps us conquer all the difficulties we face in this world.
5 Who can overcome everything this world offers us? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 When Jesus Christ came to the earth, at the beginning of His ministry He was baptized with water, and later He shed His blood on the cross. He not only was baptized with water as a man, but He also paid for our sins with His blood as the Savior of the world. The Holy Spirit also confirms this, because the Spirit is truth.
7 There are three witnesses in heaven who confirm the truth in unity: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. The first witness is God the Father who created the whole world by His Word. The second one is Jesus Christ who is the Word of God. And the third one is the Holy Spirit who now works in the world and fills the hearts of believers. These three witnesses are united in the one essence of God.
8 There are also three witnesses on the earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. The first witness is the Holy Spirit who confirms the truth that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. The second witness is Jesus’ water baptism during which God the Father declared that Jesus was His Son. And the third witness is the blood of Christ which points to His redemptive sacrifice. These three witnesses all speak about the same thing.
9 We accept the testimony of another person when he confirms certain facts. How much more should we accept the testimony of God who never makes mistakes or misleads anyone? So what He says about His Son is true and worthy of complete trust.
10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the inner testimony from God that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. But the one who does not believe the testimony that God gave about His Son rejects the truth that God revealed about Christ and by doing so he claims that God is a liar.
11 This testimony is that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 So the one who accepts Jesus as God’s Son has eternal life. But the one who does not accept Him does not have eternal life.
13 I have written this letter to you who believe that the name of God’s Son Jesus brought us salvation. You should know that through your faith in Him you received eternal life.
14 Now we can boldly approach God. We have assurance that He hears our prayers when we come to Him with requests that are according to His will.
15 Since we know that God always hears our prayers that are in accordance with His plans, we can also be confident that He will give us everything we ask for.
16 If you see a believer committing a sin that does not lead to spiritual death, pray for him. When he repents, God will forgive him and restore his life. But if a believer stubbornly continues sinning and begins to willfully reject Christ, this will lead to spiritual death. In such a case, your prayer will not help him.
17 Every wrong action is a sin. But not every sin leads to spiritual death.
18 The one who is spiritually born of God does not sin as he used to sin. Instead, we know that the one who is born of God makes efforts to overcome his sinful habits and does his best to avoid sin. He is under God’s protection, and the devil cannot harm him.
19 We know that we belong to God, and the rest of the people of this world are under the power of Satan who is the source of all evil.
20 We also know that God’s Son came to the earth and gave us the ability to understand the truth. Now we know who the real God is. And we are united with His true Son Jesus Christ who is the true God and eternal life.
21 My children, that is why you should have no other gods, and you should worship no idols. Amen.