1 John 3:3–17

³And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.^b

⁴Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.^{c 5}But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.

⁷Little children,^d let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.^{e 8}The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

¹¹This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹²Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous. ¹³So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.

¹⁶By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?