The First Epistle General of John

American Standard Version, 1901 ed.

Chapter 1

¹That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life ² (and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal [life], which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); ³ that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ: ⁴and these things we write, that our joy may be made full. ⁵And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: ⁷but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Chapter 2

¹My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ²and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. ³And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: ⁶he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. ⁷Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye heard. ⁸ Again, a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth. ⁹He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now. ¹⁰He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. ¹¹But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes. ¹²I write unto you, [my] little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. ¹³I write unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one. I have written unto you, little children, because ye know the Father. ¹⁴I have written unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one. ¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. ¹⁸Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us. ²⁰And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things. ²¹I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth. ²²Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, [even] he that denieth the Father and the Son. ²³Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also. ²⁴As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. ²⁵And this is the promise which he promised us, [even] the life eternal. ²⁶These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray. ²⁷And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him. ²⁸And now, [my] little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. ²⁹If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him.

Chapter 3

¹Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and [such] we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ²Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. ³And every one that hath this hope [set] on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. ⁴Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And ye know that he was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin. ⁶Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him. ⁷[My] little children, let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: ⁸he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God. ¹⁰In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. ¹¹For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another: ¹²not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous. ¹³Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. ¹⁴We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. ¹⁵Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. ¹⁶Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸[My] Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth. ¹⁹Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him: ²⁰because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. ²¹Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; ²²and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. ²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment. ²⁴And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

Chapter 4

¹Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ²Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: ³and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already. ⁴Ye are of God, [my] little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. ⁵They are of the world: therefore speak they [as] of the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. ⁷Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. ⁸He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ⁹Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: ¹³hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world. ¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. ¹⁶And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. ¹⁷Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹We love, because he first loved us. ²⁰If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen. ²¹And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.

Chapter 5

¹Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God: and whosoever loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. ²Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments. ³For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. ⁴For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, [even] our faith. ⁵And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. ⁷And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁸For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one. ⁹If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son. ¹⁰He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son. ¹¹And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. ¹³These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, [even] unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. ¹⁶If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and [God] will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request. ¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. ¹⁸We know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but he that was begotten of God keepeth himself, and the evil one toucheth him not. ¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. ²⁰ And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. ²¹[My] little children, guard yourselves from idols.

This document (last modified December 30, 1997) from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library server, at @Wheaton College