1  I, John, am writing to you about the one who existed before there was anything else! He is the one whom we apostles listened to as he taught us! We saw him! We ourselves looked at him and touched him! He is the one who taught us the message that enables people to have eternal life (OR, live spiritually). 2 Because he came here to the earth and we have seen him, we proclaim to you clearly that the one whom we have seen is the one who has always lived. He was previously with his Father in heaven, but he came to live among us. 3 We proclaim to you the message about Jesus, the one whom we saw and heard, in order that you may have a close relationship with us. The ones whom we have a close relationship with are God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 I am writing to you about these things so that you ◄will be convinced/believe► that they are true, and as a result we may be completely joyful.

5 The message that we heard from Christ and proclaim to you is this: God is pure in every way. He never sins. He is like [MET] a brilliant light that has no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have a close relationship with God, but we conduct our lives in an impure manner, that is like living [MET] in evil darkness. We are lying. We are not conducting our lives according to God's true message. 7 But living in a pure manner, as God is living in a pure manner [MET] in every way, is like living in God's light. If we do that, we have a close relationship with each other. Not only that, but God ◄acquits us/removes the guilt► of all our sins because he accepts what his Son Jesus did for us when his blood flowed from his body when he died. So we should conduct our lives ◄ according to God's standard of purity/in a pure manner according to what God says is pure►. 8 Those who never behave sinfully are deceiving themselves, and refusing to accept as true what God says about them. 9 But God will do what he says that he will do, and what he does is always right. So, if we confess to him that we have behaved sinfully, he will forgive us for our sins and ◄will free us from/remove► the guilt of all our sins. Because of that, we should confess to him that we have behaved sinfully. 10  Because God says that everyone has sinned, those who say/claim that they have never behaved sinfully talk as though God lies! They reject what God says about us!