he shall be revealed, we may have joy, and not to be ashamed before him in his coming.

If ye know that he is righteous, know ye also that he that doeth righteousness is born of him.
(1 John)
Chapter 3
Of true Christians glory, attributes, cross and consolation.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath shewed unto us, that we should be called the children of God. Therefore the world knoweth you not, because it knoweth him not.

Beloved, we are now God’s children, and what we shall be has not yet appeared. But we know, when it shall appear, that we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

And every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Whosoever committeth sin committeth iniquity: and sin is iniquity.

And ye know that he hath appeared to take away our sins; and there is no sin in him.

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; He that sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Whosoever is born of GOD doth not sin: for his seed abideth with him, and cannot sin: for he is born of GOD.

By this it is evident which are the children of God, and which are the children of the devil.
He who does not do right is not of God, and he who does not love his brother.

For this is the message which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Not as Cain, which was of the wicked, and slew his brother. And why slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
(Epistle on the Second Sunday after Trinity)

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

We know that we are passed from death unto life: for we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

He that hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that a murderer hath not eternal life abiding with him.

By this we have known love, that he laid down his life for us: and we ought also to lay down our lives for the brethren.

But if a man have goods of this world, and see his brother brought low, and shut up his heart against him, how abideth the love of God in him?

My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth].

By this we know that we are of the truth, and can still our hearts before him, 20. That if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have joy unto God;

And whatsoever we ask, we will take of him: for we keep his commandments, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.

And this is his commandment, that we believe on the name of his Son JESUS Christ, and love one another, as he hath commanded us.

And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abideth in us: in
the spirit he has given us.
(1 John)
Chapter 4
Of testing false teachers and exercising love toward God and neighbor.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God: for many false prophets are gone out into the world.

By this ye shall know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God;

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it shall come, and is now already in the world.

Little children, ye are of God, and have overcome them: for he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore they speak of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God, and he that knoweth God heareth us: he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and he that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love:

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we should live through him.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, let us also love one another.
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is fully in us.

By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, that he hath given us of his Spirit.

And we have seen and do witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Whosoever therefore shall confess that JESUS is the Son of GOD, in him abideth GOD, and he in GOD.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.
(Epistle on the first Sunday after Trinity.)
God is love; and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Wherefore love is perfect with us, that we may have joy in the day of judgment: for as he is, so are we in this world.

Fear is not in love: but perfect love casteth out fear: for fear hath torment. But he that feareth is not perfect in love.

Let us love him: for he hath loved us first.

If any man say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he beholdeth, how can he love God whom he beholdeth not?

And this commandment have we from him, that he that loveth God love his brother also].
(1 John)
Chapter 5
Of the right faith, the power thereof, the fruit thereof, and the quality thereof.

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And whosoever loveth him that begat him loveth him also that is born of him.

By this we know that we love God’s children when we love God and keep His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(Epistle on the first Sunday after Easter, Quasimodogeniti.) 4. For whatsoever is born of GOD overcometh the world: and our faith is the victory that overcometh the world.

But who is he that overcometh the world, except he believe that JESUS is the Son of GOD?

This is he that cometh with water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with water only, but with water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness that the Spirit is truth.

For there are three that beget in heaven; the Father, and the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

And there are three that beget in the earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three are joined together.

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater: for the testimony of God is that which he hath begotten of his Son.

He that believeth on the Son of God hath such a testimony with him. He that believeth not God maketh him a liar: for he believeth not the testimony which God beareth of his Son].

And this is the testimony, that God hath given us eternal life; and such life is in his Son.

He who has the Son of God has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

And this is the joy that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.

And if we know that he heareth us what we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we asked of him.

If any man see his brother sin, a sin not unto death, let him ask; and he shall give life unto
them that sin not unto death. It is a sin unto death: for this I say not, that any man pray.

All unrighteousness is sin: and some sin is not unto death.

We know that he that is born of God sinneth not: but he that is born of God keepeth himself, and the wicked shall not touch him.

We know that we are of GOD; and the whole world is in trouble.

But we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a purpose, that we should know him that is true, and be in him that is true, even in his Son JESUS CHRIST. He is the true God and the eternal life.

Little children, beware of idols! Amen.
Text of the unrevised Luther Bible 1545:
DeepL English Translation
[Processed by BackToLuther. German text published here.]
The second letter of John (2 John) ^
Mirror of a godly woman.

The elder: to the chosen woman and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all who have known the truth,

For the truth’s