1 Kyk wat 'n groot liefde die Vader aan ons bewys het, dat ons kinders van God genoem kan word! Om hierdie rede ken die wêreld ons nie, omdat dit Hom nie geken het nie.
2 Geliefdes, nou is ons kinders van God, en dit is nog nie geopenbaar wat ons sal wees nie; maar ons weet dat ons, as Hy verskyn, aan Hom gelyk sal wees, omdat ons Hom sal sien soos Hy is.
3 En elkeen wat hierdie hoop op Hom het, reinig homself soos Hy rein is.
4 Elkeen wat die sonde doen, doen ook die wetteloosheid, want die sonde is wetteloosheid.
5 En julle weet dat Hy verskyn het om ons sondes weg te neem, en geen sonde is in Hom nie.
6 Elkeen wat in Hom bly, sondig nie. Elkeen wat sondig, het Hom nie gesien en Hom nie geken nie.
7 My kinders, laat niemand julle mislei nie: wie die geregtigheid doen, is regverdig soos Hy regverdig is.
8 Hy wat die sonde doen, is uit die duiwel, want die duiwel sondig van die begin af. Vir hierdie doel het die Seun van God verskyn, om die werke van die duiwel te verbreek.
9 Elkeen wat uit God gebore is, doen geen sonde nie, omdat sy saad in hom bly; en hy kan nie sondig nie, want hy is uit God gebore.
10 Hierin is die kinders van God en die kinders van die duiwel openbaar: elkeen wat die geregtigheid nie doen nie, is nie uit God nie, en hy ook wat sy broeder nie liefhet nie.
11 Want dit is die boodskap wat julle van die begin af gehoor het, dat ons mekaar moet liefhê;
12 nie soos Kain wat uit die Bose was en sy broer doodgeslaan het nie. En waarom het hy hom doodgeslaan? Omdat sy werke boos was en die van sy broer regverdig.
13 Verwonder julle nie, my broeders, as die wêreld julle haat nie.
14 Ons weet dat ons oorgegaan het uit die dood in die lewe, omdat ons die broeders liefhet. Hy wat sy broeder nie liefhet nie, bly in die dood.
15 Elkeen wat sy broeder haat, is 'n moordenaar; en julle weet dat geen moordenaar die ewige lewe as iets blywends in hom het nie.
16 Hieraan het ons die liefde leer ken, dat Hy sy lewe vir ons afgelê het; en ons behoort ons lewe vir die broeders af te lê.
17 Maar wie die goed van die wêreld het en sy broeder sien gebrek ly en sy hart vir hom toesluit, hoe bly die liefde van God in hom?
18 My kinders, laat ons nie liefhê met woorde of met die tong nie, maar met die daad en in waarheid.
19 En hieraan weet ons dat ons uit die waarheid is; en ons sal ons harte voor Hom gerusstel,
20 want as ons hart ons veroordeel, God is meer as ons hart, en Hy weet alles.
21 Geliefdes, as ons hart ons nie veroordeel nie, dan het ons vrymoedigheid teenoor God;
22 en wat ons ook al bid, ontvang ons van Hom, omdat ons sy gebooie bewaar en doen wat welgevallig is voor Hom.
23 En dit is sy gebod, dat ons in die Naam van sy Seun, Jesus Christus, moet glo en mekaar liefhê soos Hy ons 'n gebod gegee het.
24 En hy wat sy gebooie bewaar, bly in Hom, en Hy in hom. En hieraan weet ons dat Hy in ons bly aan die Gees wat Hy ons gegee het.
1 See what great love the Father has given us in naming us the children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not see who we are, because it did not see who he was.
2 My loved ones, now we are children of God, and at present it is not clear what we are to be. We are certain that at his revelation we will be like him; for we will see him as he is.
3 And everyone who has this hope in him makes himself holy, even as he is holy.
4 Everyone who is a sinner goes against the law, for sin is going against the law.
5 And you have knowledge that he came to take away sin: and in him there is no sin.
6 Anyone who is in him does no sin; anyone who is a sinner has not seen him and has no knowledge of him.
7 My little children, let no man take you out of the true way: he who does righteousness is upright, even as he is upright;
8 The sinner is a child of the Evil One; for the Evil One has been a sinner from the first. And the Son of God was seen on earth so that he might put an end to the works of the Evil One.
9 Anyone who is a child of God does no sin, because he still has God's seed in him; he is not able to be a sinner, because God is his Father.
10 In this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.
11 Because this is the word which was given to you from the first, that we are to have love for one another;
12 Not being of the Evil One like Cain, who put his brother to death. And why did he put him to death? Because his works were evil and his brother's works were good.
13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world has no love for you.
14 We are conscious that we have come out of death into life because of our love for the brothers. He who has no love is still in death.
15 Anyone who has hate for his brother is a taker of life, and you may be certain that no taker of life has eternal life in him.
16 In this we see what love is, because he gave his life for us; and it is right for us to give our lives for the brothers.
17 But if a man has this world's goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?
18 My little children, do not let our love be in word and in tongue, but let it be in act and in good faith.
19 In this way we may be certain that we are true, and may give our heart comfort before him,
20 When our heart says that we have done wrong; because God is greater than our heart, and has knowledge of all things.
21 My loved ones, if our heart does not say that we have done wrong, we have no fear before him;
22 And he gives us all our requests, because we keep his laws and do the things which are pleasing in his eyes.
23 And this is his law, that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love for one another, even as he said to us.
24 He who keeps his laws is in God and God is in him. And the Spirit which he gave us is our witness that he is in us.