1 John 2:3-17

If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him. Those who say that they know him, but do not obey his commands, are liars and there is no truth in them. All those who obey his word are people whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God: those who say that they remain in union with God should live just as Jesus Christ did. My dear friends, this command I am writing to you is not new; it is the old command, the one you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the message you have already heard. However, the command I am now writing to you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ and also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining. Those who say that they are in the light, yet hate their brothers and sisters, are in the darkness to this very hour. Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and so there is nothing in them that will cause someone else to sin. But those who hate their brothers and sisters are in the darkness; they walk in it and do not know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind. I am writing to you, my children, because your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One. I am writing to you, my children, because you know the Father. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you are strong; the word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One. Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world — what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of — none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live for ever.