The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.

But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him.

We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death.

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him.

What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ).

By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world.

Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God,

not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.

Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside in him.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.

If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death, he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that.

For there are three that testify,

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness.