Out of the Dark
If we truly love Jesus, then we also hate our sins. Yet we still sin at times. When that happens, it’s important not to try to hide or forget our sins. We need to bring them to Jesus, and ask for forgiveness.
We can strive to love Jesus so much and to be filled with his Holy Spirit, so that sin will not control our thoughts and actions. Jesus is a light that guides us out of the darkness of sin. People who do not trust Christ have little hope for the future. They will be trapped in a world of darkness forever. But those who trust God’s goodness and desire to help us will live in the light.
My children…
I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us.
Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of the entire world’s people. When we obey God, we are sure that we know him. But if we claim to know him and don’t obey him, we are lying and the truth isn’t in our hearts. We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and then we know that we belong to him. If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ.
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. 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. If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark. But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don’t cause problems for them. 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.
Children, I am writing you, because your sins have been forgiven in the name of Christ. Parents, I am writing you, because you have known the one who was there from the beginning. Young people, I am writing you, because you have defeated the evil one.
Children, I am writing you, because you have known the Father. Parents, I am writing you, because you have known the one who was there from the beginning. Young people, I am writing you, because you are strong. God’s message is firm in your hearts, and you have defeated the evil one.
Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. 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. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.
