THE
FIRST LETTER OF THE DELEGATE YOHANAN.
[WRITTEN FROM EPHESUS, A. D. 68.]
I.–THAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at closely , and our hands have handled, concerning the living Word–(for the life was made clear, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and declare to you that life which is eternal, which was with the Father, and was made clear to us;) that which we have seen and heard, we declare to you; that you also may have fellowship with us: and our fellowship truly is with the Father, and with his Son, Yeshua The Anointed. And these things we write to you, that your joy may be complete.
5.–Moreover, this is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not obey the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light; we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua The Anointed his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Chapter 2
II.–My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. Yet, if anyone has sinned, we have an advocate (Gk:parakletos, an intercessor, consoler): with the Father, Yeshua The Anointed the Righteous One. And he is the means of appeasing for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. And by this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I have known him; and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this man. But whoever keeps his word, truly in this man the love (agape) of God is completed. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he remains in him, ought himself also to walk, even as he walked.
7.–Brethren, I do not write a new commandment to you; but an old commandment, which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word, which you have heard from the beginning. On the other hand, I write to you a new commandment, which is true concerning him and concerning you. For the darkness is passing away, and the light which is true now shines. He who says he is in the light, and yet hates his brother, is in the darkness until now. He who loves (agape) his brother, remains in the light, and there is no stumbling block to him. But he who hates his brother, is in the darkness, and walks in that darkness, and does not know where he goes; because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 Little children, I write to you, because your sins are forgiven you, on account of his name. Fathers, I write to you, because you have known him from the beginning. Young men, I write to you, because you have overcome the wicked one. Young children, I write to you, because you have known the Father. Fathers, I have written to you, because you have known him from the beginning. young men, I have written to you, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
15 Do not love (agape) the world, neither the things which are in the world. If anyone loves (agape) the world, the love (agape) of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,–the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,–is not of the Father, but is of the world. Now the world is passing away, and its lusts; but he who does the will of God, remains forever.
18 Young children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the antichrist (lit:opposing The Anointed ) shall come, so now there are many antichrists; so you know that it is the last hour. They went away from us, but they were not of us. For, if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went away, that they might be made clear, that they all were not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar, if not he who denies that Yeshua is The Anointed? He is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son, does not acknowledge the Father: he that acknowledges the Son has the Father.–Therefore, let what you have heard from the beginning, remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning, remains in you; you also shall remain in the Son, and in the Father: and this is the promise, which he has promised to us; eternal life.
26 These things I have written to you, concerning those who deceive you; but the anointing which you have received from him, remains in you; and you have no need, that any one should teach you, but the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie: and as it has taught you, you will remain in him. And now, little children, remain in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence, and may not be put to shame by him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been brought forth by him.
Chapter 3
III.–Behold what kind of love (agape) the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are the children of God; but it does not yet appear what we shall be. However, we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him;–that we shall see him as he is. And every one who has this hope in him, purifies himself, even as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin, also practices lawlessness; for sin is lawlessness. Moreover, you know that he was made clear (or appeared), that he might take away our sins;–and in him there is no sin. Whoever remains in him, does not sin. Whoever sins, has not seen him, or has known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you: he who practices righteousness, is righteous, even as He is righteous. He who practices sin, is of The Accuser; for The Accuser sins from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of The Accuser. Whoever has been brought forth by God, does not practice sin; because his seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been brought forth by God. By this, the children of God and the children of The Accuser are made clear: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, or he who does not love (agape) his brother. For this is the message, which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love (agape) one another. Not being of the wicked one, as Cain was, who slaughtered his brother. And for what reason did he kill him?–Because his own deeds were wicked, and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not wonder, my brethren, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death to life, because we love (agape) the brethren. He who does not loves (agape) his brother, remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother, is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we have known the love (agape) of The Anointed, because he laid down his life for us; therefore we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Whoever, therefore, has the goods of this world, and sees his brother in need, and yet shuts up his compassion from him, how does the love (agape) of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love (agape) in word, or in tongue; but in deeds, and in truth. For by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall persuade our hearts before him. But if our heart condemns us, certainly God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence with God. And whatever we ask, we receive from him; because we keep his commandments, and do the things which are pleasing in his sight.
23 For this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Yeshua The Anointed, and should love (agape) one another as he commanded us.. Now he who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him: and by this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit, which he has given us.
Chapter 4
IV.–Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, to see whether they are from God; because many false forthtellers have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Yeshua The Anointed has come in the flesh, is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Yeshua, is not from God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, which you have heard that comes, and now is already in the world . You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because he is greater, who is with you, than he who is with the world. They are of the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God: he who knows God, listens to us; he who is not of God, does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved (agapetos), let us love (agape) one another; for love (agape) is from God: and everyone who loves (agape), has been born by God, and knows God. He who does not love (agape), does not know God; for God is love (agape). By this the love (agape) of God was made clear to us, that God sent forth his unique Son, the only one brought forth into the world, that we might live through him. In this is love (agape), not that we loved (agape) God, but that he loved (agape) us, and sent forth his Son to be the means of appeasing for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved (agape) us, we also ought to love (agape) one another. No one has seen God, at any time. If we love (agape) one another, God abides in us, and his love (agape) is made complete in us. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. Now we have seen, and bear testimony, that the Father has sent forth his Son, to be the Savior (Gk:soter a deliverer) of the world.
15 Whoever will confess that Yeshua is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known, and believed the love (agape) which God has to us. God is love (agape); Therefore, he who abides in love (agape), abides in God, and God in him. By this, love (agape) has been completed in us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love (agape); but complete love (agape) casts out fear, because fear has punishment: therefore, he who fears is not made complete in love (agape). We love (agape) him, because he first loved (agape) us. If anyone says, I love (agape) God, and yet hates his brother, he is a liar: for he who does not love (agape) his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love (agape) God, whom he has not seen? Moreover, this is commandment we have from him, that he who loves (agape) God, loves (agape) his brother also.
Chapter 5
V.–Everyone who believes that Yeshua is The Anointed, has been brought forth by God; and everyone who loves (agape) the father, loves (agape) also the one brought forth by him. By this we know that we love (agape) the children of God, when we love (agape) God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love (agape) of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome; because every one that is brought forth by God, overcomes the world. And this is the victory which overcomes the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Yeshua is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood, even Yeshua The Anointed; not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And it is the Spirit who testified; because the Spirit is the truth. There are three who bear testimony; the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three are for the one thing. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. Now, this is the testimony of God, which he has testified concerning his Son.–(He who believes in the Son of God, has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God, has made him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony, which God has testified concerning his Son.) 11 Now this is the testimony: God has given to us eternal life: and this life is in his Son.–He who has the Son, has this life; he who does not have the Son of God, does not have this life.
13.–These things I have written to you, that you may know that you have eternal life;–that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence which we have with him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, concerning whatever we ask; we know that we shall obtain the requests, which we have asked from him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin, not to death, let him ask, and he will grant to him life, for those who do not sin to death. There is a sin to death. I do not say concerning it, that you should ask. All unrighteousness is sin: but there is a sin not to death. We know that whoever has been brought forth by God, does not sin; but he who is brought forth by God, guards himself, and the wicked one does not lay hold on him.
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies under the wicked one. Moreover, we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, that we might know him who is true; and we are in him who is true,–in his Son Yeshua The Anointed. This is the true God, and the eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols