1 John 2

1 My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone does sin, we have a Helper with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; [a] 2 and he himself is the atonement for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. [b] 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him: if we keep his commands. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and does not keep his commands is a liar, and in this one the truth is not; [c] 5 but whoever keeps his word, truly in this one the love of God has been made complete. By this we know that we are in him: [d] 6 the one who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just as that one walked. [e]

7 Beloved, I am not writing a new command to you, but an old command that you have had from the beginning; the old command is the word that you heard. [f] 8 Again, a new command I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. [g] 9 The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now. [h] 10 The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no stumbling block in him; [i] 11 but the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness blinded his eyes.

12 I write to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven for the sake of his name. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. [j] 14 I wrote to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you and you have conquered the evil one.

15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; 16 because everything that is in the world — the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the boasting of livelihood — is not from the Father but is from the world. [k] 17 And the world is passing away, and its desire; but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

18 Children, it is a last hour, and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come to be; from this we know that it is a last hour. [l] † 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us — but so that it might be made known that not all are of us. 20 And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. [m] 21 I did not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. [n] 23 Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; the one who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. [o]

24 As for you, what you heard from the beginning — let it remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he himself promised us: the everlasting life. 26 These things I wrote to you concerning those who are leading you astray. 27 And as for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as his anointing teaches you about all things — and is true and is not a lie — and just as it taught you, remain in him. [p] 28 And now, little children, remain in him, so that if he is made known we may have boldness and not be shamed away from him at his coming. [q] 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does righteousness has been born of him. [r]