Truth And Action
For this is the message you have heard
from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain
who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?
Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be
astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we
have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not
love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you
know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to
lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has
the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?
Little children, let us love, not in
word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are
from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts
condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we
receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what
pleases him.