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New Testament: The Father's Life Version

The First Letter of John

The New Testament. Emphasizing the different words for life in Greek, using the correct verb tenses regarding salvation and conveying the gospel as a much more dynamic message.

A "Grain Of Wheat" Ministries publication

Translated by David W. Dyer

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The First Letter of John


FIRST JOHN CHAPTER 1

1:1I am writing to you concerning that which was from the beginning: that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have personally witnessed and our hands have handled the Word {the Divine Expression} of God’s life.

1:2For God’s very own life was manifested and we have seen it and testify and declare to you the life – that eternal life of God – which was with the Father and was manifested to us.

1:3That which we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you too may have fellowship with us. Yes! And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus the Anointed One. 1:4We write these things to you so that your joy may be made complete.

1:5And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you: that God is light and there is no darkness whatsoever in him.

1:6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we are deceivers and do not practice the truth. 1:7But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from every kind of sin.

1:8If we say that we don’t have any sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1:9When we agree with God’s judgment concerning our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all immorality of character.*

1:10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

*Notice that God will do two separate things when we “agree with God’s judgment” (“speak together,” Gk) concerning our sins. First, he will forgive us. Then, he will “cleanse” us, which means he will work to clean up our lives so that we no longer sin.

FIRST JOHN CHAPTER 2

2:1Little children, I write these things to you so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father: Jesus the Anointed, the righteous One. 2:2He is the One who satisfied God’s demands concerning our sins and not only for ours but also for the entire world.

2:3And this is how we can be certain that we know him intimately: if we do what he leads us to do. 2:4He who says, “I know him” but does not follow his instructions is a liar and the truth is not in him. 2:5But whoever carefully observes what he shows him, the love of God has truly been perfected in him.

This is the way we know that we are truly in him: 2:6he who says he abides in him ought to conduct his life just as he conducted his life.

2:7Beloved, I am not writing new instructions to you but the old instruction which you had from the beginning. This “old instruction” is the word which you heard.

2:8And now, I am writing to you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

2:9It is this: he who says he is in the light but disrespects his brother is still in darkness even until now. 2:10He who loves his brother continues in the light and there is nothing in him which lures other brothers or sisters into sin. 2:11But he who disrespects his brother by luring him or her into sin is in darkness and walks in darkness and doesn’t know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

2:12I write to you little children because your sins are forgiven through his name. 2:13I write to you fathers because you know him profoundly who is from the beginning. I write to you young men because you have overcome the evil one.

I have written to you little children because you have become acquainted with the Father. 2:14I have written to you fathers because you have come to understand him who is from the beginning. I have written to you young men because you are strong, the word of God abides in you, and you have been victorious over the temptations of the evil one. 2:15Do not love the ways and values of this present world {kosmos, Gk}, neither love the things that are in this world. If anyone loves the ways, things, and values of this world, the love of the Father is not in him. 2:16For everything that is in this world – the impure desires of our flesh, the longings for what we see with our eyes, and the pride concerning our earthly life – does not have its source in the Father, but has its source in the system of this world [whose prince is the devil]. 2:17But the system {ways, values and things} of this world will disappear along with the fleshly cravings for it.

But he who does the will of God continues forever. 2:18Little children, it is the last period of time. And as you have heard that the one who takes the place of the Anointed One {antichrist} will come, even now many antichrists have already arisen. This is how we know that it is the last period of time.

2:19They went out from us but their source was not the same as ours. For if they had been from the same source, they would have continued with us, but they went out so that they might be exposed as not being from the same source that we have. 2:20But you have an anointing from the Holy One and you understand all these things.

2:21I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth but because you do know it and understand that no lie has its source in the truth. 2:22Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Anointed One? This is the essence of the one who takes the place of the Anointed One {antichrist}, someone who denies the Father and the Son. 2:23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either. He who confesses the Son has the Father also.

2:24As for you, let that which you heard from the beginning remain in you. If that which you heard from the beginning continues in you, you also will continue in the Son and in the Father. 2:25And this is the promise which he promised us, even the eternal life of God.

2:26I have written these things to you concerning those who would lead you astray. 2:27And as for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you so you don’t need to depend on any man to teach you. But just as his anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is no lie, even as it taught you until now, you should continue to abide in him. 2:28And now little children, continue in him so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be ashamed, and be separated from him at his appearing.

2:29Since you know that he is righteous, you understand that everyone who is expressing this righteousness is someone who is begotten by him.

FIRST JOHN CHAPTER 3

3:1Look at what kind of love the Father has granted to us, that we should be called “children of God himself.” The reason that the world does not recognize us is because it didn’t recognize him.

3:2Beloved, we are now the children of God but it is not yet unveiled what we will be. But we do know that when he is revealed, we will be glorified to be like him for we will see him then as he really is right now. 3:3And everyone who has this hope within himself purifies himself in order to be pure as he is pure.

3:4Everyone who sins rebels against God’s laws. Sin is rebellion against God. 3:5And you know that he was manifested to remove our sin. There is no sin in him; therefore, 3:6whoever abides in him does not sin. But whoever continues in sin has not seen him clearly and does not know him intimately.

3:7Little children, don’t let anyone lead you astray. He who exhibits righteousness is righteous in the same way as God is righteous. 3:8He who persistently practices sin has his source in the devil for the devil sinned from the beginning. The son of God was revealed for exactly this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil [to destroy sin].

3:9That which is fathered by God [i.e. the new spiritual man] does not sin because it is his [God’s supernatural] seed that has come to live in him. In fact, he [the new spiritual man] cannot sin because it is something which is fathered by God who is perfectly righteous.

3:10This is the way in which the offspring of God are revealed and the children of the devil are exposed: whoever does not express purity of character is not of God, neither he who does not love his brother.

3:11For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love each other. 3:12We must not be like Cain who had his source in the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his works were actively evil and his brother’s righteous. 3:13Don’t be surprised then, brethren, if the world hates you.

3:14We know that we have crossed over from death into the life of God because we love the brethren. Anyone who does not love the brethren reveals that he still remains in death. 3:15In fact, whoever hates his brother is really a murderer and you know that no murderer has the eternal life of God abiding in him.

3:16This is the way we know his love because he laid down his life for the sake of serving us and, in the same way, we ought to lay down our lives for the sake of serving the brethren. 3:17For example, anyone who has this world’s wealth and sees his brother is in need but shuts up his feelings of compassion towards him, in what way does the love of God reside in him? 3:18Little children, our love must not consist of mere words or empty talking but of sincere actions.

3:19This is the way we know that we have our source in the truth and, therefore, can assure our consciences before him. 3:20But even if our conscience condemns us, God is greater than our conscience and understands everything.

3:21Beloved, if our conscience does not condemn us we have great confidence toward God 3:22and whatever we ask we receive from him because we follow his leading, doing the things that are pleasing in his sight.

3:23And this is what he commands, that we should be believing in the name of his Son, Jesus the Anointed One, and love each other according to what he has ordered us to do. 3:24And he who carefully follows his leading abides in him and he abides in him. And this is how we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.

FIRST JOHN CHAPTER 4

4:1Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but scrutinize the spirits, whether or not they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 4:2This is the way you know the spirit that is from God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus the Anointed One has come in a human body is of God. 4:3Every spirit that does not acknowledge that Jesus the Son of God came in a human body is not of God. This is the spirit of the one who takes the place of the Anointed One {antichrist}, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4:4Little children, your source is God and you will prevail over them because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 4:5They (the followers of those who take the place of the Anointed One) have their source in the world. Therefore, they speak what is in harmony with the world and so the world hears them.

4:6On the other hand, we have our source in God. He who knows God intimately hears us. He who does not have his source in God does not listen to us. In this way, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

4:7Beloved, let us love each other for God is the source of genuine love and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God well. 4:8He who does not love does not know God intimately, for God is love. 4:9This is the way that the love of God was revealed to us. God has sent his only begotten Son into the world so that we might have God’s own life through him.

4:10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means of appeasing himself concerning our sins. 4:11Beloved, if God loved us so much, we also ought to love each other.

4:12No one has seen God the Father at any time, yet if we love each other, this is proof that God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 4:13This is the way we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us a portion of his Spirit. 4:14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

4:15Whoever agrees with God that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. 4:16And we have seen and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love. He who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. 4:17This “abiding in him” is the way in which love is perfected in us so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment because the way he is (in his character, speech, and actions), this is the same way we are (in our character, speech, and actions) in this world.

4:18There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear out because fear brings mental torment. He who is fearful has not yet been made perfect in love. 4:19We have God’s love in us because he first loved us.

4:20If someone says, “I love God” but despises his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how is it possible that he loves God who is not seeable? 4:21And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God must love his brother also.

FIRST JOHN CHAPTER 5

5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Anointed One is conceived by God {has God’s life born into him}. And whoever loves him who fathered this new life also loves the one who is conceived by him.

5:2The evidence of our love for the children of God is that we love God and do what he leads us to do. 5:3For this is the expression of the love of God, i.e. when we follow his directions. And his directions are not a severe burden.

5:4That which is begotten of God [the new spiritual man] overcomes the world. This victory of overcoming the world is gained through our faith. 5:5And who is he who overcomes the world? It is the one who is actively believing, because Jesus is the Son of God.

5:6This is he who came by water and blood, even Jesus the Anointed One, not by the water only but by the water and by the blood. 5:7And it is the Spirit who testifies of this because the Spirit is the Spirit of truth. 5:8For there are three who testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three agree as one.

5:9Since we accept the testimony of men, we should understand that the testimony of God carries much more weight. The testimony of God is this: he has testified concerning his Son. 5:10He who is believing into the Son of God has this same witness inside of himself. He who does not believe God is calling him a liar because he has not believed in what God has testified concerning his Son.

5:11And this is the evidence that God gave to us: his own eternal life. And this life is in his Son. 5:12He who is laying hold of the Son is possessing God’s eternal life. He who is not laying hold of the Son of God does not have God’s life.

5:13I have written these things to you so that you may be knowing that you have God’s eternal life, even you who are believing into the name of the Son of God. 5:14And this (having the Father’s own life) is the source of the confidence which we have with respect to him so we know that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

5:15And when we perceive that he is hearing us when we ask, we know that we will receive from him our petitions for which we have asked.

5:16If any man sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he may ask God and God will give him more of his own life. I say this concerning someone whose sin is not one which leads to death. There is a sin which leads to death. In that case, I do not say that we should even ask. 5:17All unrighteousness is sin. But there is sin which does not result in death.

5:18We know that that which is begotten by God [the new spiritual man] does not sin; therefore, he who is begotten by God keeps himself from habitually practicing sin and the evil one does not fasten himself onto him. 5:19We know that we have our source in God and that the whole world is held in the power of the evil one.

5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us spiritual understanding so that we intimately know the true One. And we are in the true One, even in his Son, Jesus the Anointed One. This One is the true God – even the eternal life.

5:21Little children, guard yourselves from idols.*

*These are the things which take the place of God in your heart and life.

Words in this translation found in italics are words which are implied by the Greek text but do not represent actual words in the Greek text. This practice is common in almost all modern translations. Occasionally, this translator has added words to the translation which represent his own ideas and opinions which, although they are based on his own biblical understanding, are not part of the actual Greek text. Such words are enclosed in brackets, like this [ ]. The reader should understand these words as being the opinion of the translator. In contrast to this, the words in these braces { } indicate legitimate, alternative translations or explanations. Words within parentheses () are part of the original Greek text. Such parentheses are often used in other New Testament translations also. 

End of The First Letter of John

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