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I, the elder, am writing this letter. I am sending it to the lady chosen by God and to her children. I love all of you because of the truth. I'm not the only one who loves you. So does everyone who knows the truth. 2 I love you because of the truth that is alive in us. This truth will be with us for ever.
3 God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will give you grace, mercy and peace. These blessings will be with us because we love the truth.
4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children living by the truth. That's just what the Father commanded us to do. 5 Dear lady, I'm not writing you a new command. I'm writing a command we've had from the beginning. I'm asking that we love one another. 6 The way we show our love is to obey God's commands. He commands you to lead a life of love. That's what you have heard from the beginning.
7 I say this because many people have tried to fool others. These people have gone out into the world. They don't agree that Jesus Christ came in a human body. People like this try to trick others. These people are like the great enemy of Christ. 8 Watch out that you don't lose what we have worked for. Make sure that you get your full reward. 9 Suppose someone thinks they know more than we do. So they don't follow Christ's teaching. Then that person doesn't belong to God. But whoever follows Christ's teaching belongs to the Father and the Son. 10 Suppose someone comes to you and doesn't teach these truths. Then don't take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their evil work.
12 I have a lot to write to you. But I don't want to use paper and ink. I hope I can visit you instead. Then I can talk with you face to face. That will make our joy complete.
13 The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.
1:1–13 John called himself the elder. He may have been talking about his age or about being a church elder. He said he was writing to a lady and her children whom God chose. This was a way to talk about the church. It was common for churches to meet in someone's home. It was also common for believers in Roman lands to be treated badly for following Jesus. John may have avoided using any names to protect the believers. John wrote that the truth is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He lived on earth as a human being with a human body. While Jesus was on earth he taught people how to live. People who follow Jesus' teachings belong to God. They are part of God's family together with everyone else who follows Jesus. That is why God's children call one another brother and sister. They obey God's commands. They lead a life of love like Jesus did. John also wrote about the danger of lies and false teachings about Jesus. In John's time some people taught that Jesus didn't ever have a human body. These people thought that they knew many things and were proud of what they knew. This was a common way of thinking called Gnosticism. John made it clear that people teaching these things didn't follow Jesus' teachings. They made themselves enemies of Christ. They didn't lead a life of love. Instead, they did evil work. John warned the believers not to welcome such people. He meant that they were not to be allowed to teach. John looked forward to visiting the believers and sharing his love and joy with them.