Dec 26 - 1 John 1-5, 2 John 1, 3 John 1, Jude 1
1 John
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.4We write this to make our joy complete.5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.12I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.13I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.14I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.22Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.24See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.25And this is what he promised us--even eternal life.26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him.28And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.11This is the message you 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 he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.19We love because he first loved us.20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.6This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.7For there are three that testify:8the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.9We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.10Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.15And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.16If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
2 John
1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth--and not I only, but also all who know the truth--2because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:3Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.4It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.5And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.7Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.8Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.9Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.11Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.12I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.13The children of your chosen sister send their greetings.
3 John
1The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.2Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.3It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.6They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.7It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.8We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.9I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us.10So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.11Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.12Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone--and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.13I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.14I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
Jude
1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:2Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.4For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.6And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.8In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.9But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"10Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals--these are the very things that destroy them.11Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.12These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead.13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones15to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."16These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.17But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.18They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."19These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.22Be merciful to those who doubt;23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.