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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

1 John 3


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1You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be cal ed God's children --which is what we are! The reason why the world does not acknowledge us is that it did not acknowledge him.2My dear friends, we are already God's children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet beenrevealed. We are wel aware that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he real yis.3Whoever treasures this hope of him purifies himself, to be as pure as he is.4Whoever sins, acts wickedly, because al sin is wickedness.5Now you are well aware that he has appeared in order to take sins away, and that in him there is no sin.6No one who remains in him sins, and whoever sins has neither seen him nor recognised him.7Children, do not let anyone lead you astray. Whoever acts uprightly is upright, just as he is upright.8Whoever lives sinfully belongs to the devil, since the devil has been a sinner from the beginning. Thiswas the purpose of the appearing of the Son of God, to undo the work of the devil.9No one who is a child of God sins because God's seed remains in him. Nor can he sin, because he is achild of God.10This is what distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil: whoever does not liveuprightly and does not love his brother is not from God.11This is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we must love one another,12not to be like Cain, who was from the Evil One and murdered his brother. And why did he murder hisbrother? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's upright.13Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.14We are wel aware that we have passed over from death to life because we love our brothers.Whoever does not love, remains in death.15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you are well aware that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.16This is the proof of love, that he laid down his life for us, and we too ought to lay down our lives for ourbrothers.17If anyone is wel -off in worldly possessions and sees his brother in need but closes his heart to him,how can the love of God be remaining in him?18Children, our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine.19This will be the proof that we belong to the truth, and it wil convince us in his presence,20even if our own feelings condemn us, that God is greater than our feelings and knows al things.21My dear friends, if our own feelings do not condemn us, we can be fearless before God,22and whatever we ask we shal receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what isacceptable to him.23His commandment is this, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that weshould love one another as he commanded us.24Whoever keeps his commandments remains in God, and God in him. And this is the proof that heremains in us: the Spirit that he has given us.