7. My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard.
8. But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true light already shining.
9. If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.
10. But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don't cause problems for them.
11. If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don't know where we are going, because we can't see in the dark.
12. Children, I am writing to you,because your sinshave been forgivenin the name of Christ.
13. Parents, I am writing to you,because you have knownthe one who was therefrom the beginning.Young people, I am writing to you,because you have defeatedthe evil one.
14. Children, I am writing to you,because you have knownthe Father.Parents, I am writing to you,because you have knownthe one who was therefrom the beginning.Young people, I am writing to you,because you are strong.God's message is firmin your hearts,and you have defeatedthe evil one.
15. Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father.
16. Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father.
17. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live for ever.
18. Children, this is the last hour. You heard that the enemy of Christ would appear at this time, and many of Christ's enemies have already appeared. So we know that the last hour is here.
19. These people came from our own group, yet they were not part of us. If they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, which proves that they did not belong to our group.