The First Epistle of John

© 2009 William R. Finck Jr.

I 1 That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have observed, and our hands have touched concerning the Word of Life: 2 that the life was made manifest, and we have seen and we bear witness and we announce to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made manifest to us. 3 That which we have seen and we have heard, we announce also to you, that you also would have fellowship with us. Yet now our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Yahshua Christ. 4 And we write these things in order that our joy would be fulfilled.

5 And this is the message which we have heard from Him and we announce to you: that Yahweh is light and there is not any darkness in Him. 6 If we should say that we have fellowship with Him and we would walk in darkness, we lie and we do not practice the truth. 7 But if we would walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son Yahshua cleanses us from all guilt. 8 If we should say that we have no guilt, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we would admit our errors, He is trustworthy and just, that He would remit the errors for us and would cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we should say that we have not done wrong, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

II 1 My children, I write these things to you in order that you do not do wrong. And if one should do wrong, we have an Advocate with the Father: the righteous Yahshua Christ. 2 And He is a propitiation on behalf of our errors; yet not for ours only but for the whole Society.

3 And by this we may know that we know Him, if we would keep His commandments. 4 He saying that he knows Him and not keeping His commandments, he is a liar and the truth is not in him. 5 But he whom would keep His word, truly the love of Yahweh is perfected in him: by this we know that we are in Him. 6 He purporting to abide in Him, just as He had walked, thusly he also is obliged to walk.

7 Beloved, I do not write to you a new commandment, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the Word which you have heard. 8 Contrariwise, I write to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness passes by and the true light already shines: 9 He purporting to be in the light and hates his brother is in darkness even now. 10 He loving his brother abides in the light and there is no offense in him. 11 But he hating his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and knows not where he goes, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

12 I write to you, children, because your errors are remitted through His Name. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have prevailed over the Evil One. 14 I have written to you, little children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of Yahweh abides in you and you have prevailed over the Evil One.

15 Do not love Society nor the things in Society. If one should love the Society, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 Because all which is in Society, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the pretense of life, is not from of the Father but is from of Society, 17 and the Society passes on, and its desire, but he doing the will of Yahweh abides forever.

18 Little children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the Antichrist comes, even now many Antichrists have been born, from which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They came out from us but they were not from of us. For if they were from of us, they would have abided with us, but so that they would be made manifest that they are all not from of us. 20 Yet you have an anointing from the Holy One and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because any lie is not from of the truth.

22 Who is a liar, if not he denying that Yahshua is the Christ? He is the Antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son! 23 Each denying the Son has not the Father either; he being in agreement with the Son also has the Father. 24 That which you have heard from the beginning must abide in you. If that which you have heard from the beginning should abide in you, you also shall abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise which He promised to us: eternal life.

26 I have written these things to you in reference to those leading you astray. 27 And the anointing which you have received from Him, it abides in you and you have no need that one should teach you, but as His anointing teaches us concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, then just as He has taught you, you abide in Him.

28 And now, children, you abide in Him, that if He should appear, we would have freespokenness and would not be dishonored by Him at His presence. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you also know that each who is practicing righteousness has been born from of Him.

III 1 Look at the sort of love which the Father gave to us, that we should be called children of Yahweh! And we are. For this reason Society does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of Yahweh, and not yet has it been made manifest what we shall be. We know that if He is made manifest, we shall be like Him, since we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And each who having this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4 Each who is practicing wrongdoing also practices lawlessness, and wrongdoing is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He has been made manifest that He may remove errors, and there is no wrongdoing in Him. 6 Each who is abiding in Him does not do wrong. Each who is doing wrong has not seen Him nor does he know Him.

7 Children, let no one deceive you, he who is bringing about justice is just, even as He is just. 8 He who is creating error is from of the False Accuser, since the False Accuser errs from the beginning. For this the Son of Yahweh has been made manifest, in order that He would do away with the works of the False Accuser. 9 Each who has been born from of Yahweh does not create wrongdoing, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to do wrong, because from of Yahweh he has been born. 10 By this are manifest the children of Yahweh and the children of the False Accuser. All who are not bringing about justice are not from of Yahweh, and he not loving his brother, 11 because this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Kain who was from of the Wicked One and slaughtered his brother; and with delight he slaughtered him, because his deeds were evil, but those of his brother righteous.

13 Do not wonder, brethren, if Society hates you. 14 We know that we have passed over from out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He not loving abides in death. 15 Each hating his brother is a murderer, and you know that any murderer does not have eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love: that He has laid down His life on our behalf, and we are obliged to lay down our lives on behalf of the brethren. 17 Now who would have the substance of Society and should see his brother having need and shuts off his affections from him? How does the love of Yahweh abide in him? 18 Children, we should not love in word nor with the tongue, but in deeds and in truth.

19 By this we know that we are from of the truth, and we shall persuade our hearts before Him, 20 because perhaps our hearts may condemn us, since Yahweh is greater than our hearts and He knows all things. 21 Beloved, if perhaps the heart does not condemn, we have openness with Yahweh 22 and that which we should ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and we practice acceptable things before Him.

23 And this is His commandment, that we shall believe in the name of His Son Yahshua Christ and we love one another, just as He has given a commandment to us. 24 And he keeping His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, from of the Spirit which He has given to us.

IV 1 Beloved, do not have trust in every spirit, but scrutinize whether the spirits are from of Yahweh, because many false prophets have gone out into Society. 2 By this you know the Spirit of Yahweh: each spirit which professes that Yahshua Christ has come in the flesh is from of Yahweh, 3 and each spirit which does not profess Yahshua is not from of Yahweh, and this is the Antichrist, whom you have heard that it comes, and is already now in Society.

4 You are from of Yahweh, children, and you have prevailed over them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in Society. 5 They are from of Society: for this reason from of Society they speak and Society hears them. 6 We are from of Yahweh: he knowing Yahweh hears us. He who is not from of Yahweh does not hear us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

7 Beloved, we should love one another, because love is from of Yahweh, and each who loves has been born from of Yahweh and knows Yahweh. 8 He not loving does not know Yahweh, because Yahweh is love. 9 By this the love of Yahweh is manifest in us, because Yahweh sent His best-loved Son into Society in order that we may live through Him. 10 In this is love: not that we loved Yahweh but that He has loved us and has sent His Son, a propitiation for our errors.

11 Beloved, if Yahweh has loved us thusly, we also are obliged to love one another. 12 No one has at any time seen Yahweh. If we should love one another, Yahweh abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He gave to us from of His Spirit. 14 And we witnessed and we testify that the Father sent the Son, Savior of Society. 15 He who shall profess that Yahshua is the Son of Yahweh, Yahweh abides in him and he in Yahweh. 16 And we know and we believe the love which Yahweh has for us.

Yahweh is love, and he abiding in love abides in Yahweh and Yahweh abides in him. 17 By this the love is perfected among us, that we would have freespokenness in the day of judgment, because just as He is, we also are in this Society. 18 There is not fear in love, but love perfected casts out the fear. Because fear involves punishment, he being fearful has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because He has loved us first. 20 If one should say that “I love Yahweh” and hates his brother, he is a liar! For he not loving his brother whom he has seen, he is not able to love Yahweh whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this commandment from Him, that he loving Yahweh also loves his brother.

V 1 Each believing that Yahshua is the Christ has been born from of Yahweh, and each loving He who engendered loves he having been engendered by Him. 2 By this we know that we should love the children of Yahweh, when we would love Yahweh and we would keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of Yahweh, that we should keep His commandments: and His commandments are not burdensome! 4 For everything which has been engendered by Yahweh prevails over Society, and this is the victory prevailing over Society: our faith.

5 Now who is he prevailing over Society if not he who believes that Yahshua is the Son of Yahweh? 6 This is He having come through water and blood, Yahshua Christ. Not by water only but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit which testifies, because the Spirit is the Truth. 7 For there are three bearing witness, 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in One. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of Yahweh is greater. Now this is the testimony of Yahweh that He testified concerning His Son: 10 He believing in the Son of Yahweh has the testimony within him. He not believing in Yahweh makes Him a liar, because he does not believe in the testimony which Yahweh has testified concerning His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that Yahweh has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He having the Son has the life; he not having the Son of Yahweh does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you in order that you would see that you have eternal life, to those believing in the Name of the Son of Yahweh. 14 And this is the freespokenness which we have before Him, that whatever we may ask in accordance with His will He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, that which we may request, we know that we have the requests which we asked from Him.

16 If one should see his brother committing an error not resulting in death, he shall ask and he shall give life to him, to those doing wrong not resulting in death. There is an error resulting in death. I do not speak concerning that, that one should ask! 17 All wrongdoing is injustice, yet there is wrongdoing not resulting in death.

18 For we know that each who has been born from of Yahweh does not do wrong, rather he born from of Yahweh keeps himself and the Evil One does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from of Yahweh and the whole Society lies in the power of the Evil One. 20 Yet we know that the Son of Yahweh has come and gave to us an understanding that we may know the truth, and we are in the truth, among the number of His Son Yahshua Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

21 Children keep yourselves from idols.