4. But if we claim to know him and don't obey him, we are lying and the truth isn't in our hearts.
5. We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and then we know that we belong to him.
6. If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ.
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.