1. My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He is the Righteous One. He defends us before God the Father.
2. Jesus died in our place to take away our sins. And Jesus is the way that all people can have their sins taken away, too.
3. If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we truly know God.
4. If someone says, “I know God!” but does not obey God’s commands, then he is a liar. The truth is not in him.
5. But if someone obeys God’s teaching, then God’s love has truly arrived at its goal in him. This is how we know that we are following God: