Thursday, February 20, 2025

^4:20If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother. ^5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. ²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. ³For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous. ⁴For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. ⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three who testify: ⁸the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one. ⁹If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God’s testimony which he has testified concerning his Son. ¹⁰He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. ¹¹The testimony is this: that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life. ¹³These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. ¹⁵And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. ¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this. ¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. ¹⁸We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him. ¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ²⁰We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. ²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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^15:1Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders, scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, bound Jesus, carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. ²Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “So you say.” ³The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!” ⁵But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled. ⁶Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whomever they asked of him. ⁷There was one called Barabbas, bound with his fellow insurgents, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. ⁸The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them. ⁹Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. ¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead. ¹²Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³They cried out again, “Crucify him!” ¹⁴Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!” ¹⁵Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.

WEB, public domain