I John 3
1 See what sort of agape-love the father has given to us in order that we be called children of God, and [such] we are. Because of this the world does not know us, because it knew him not. 2 Agape-beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. For we know that, if he appear, we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. 3 And everyone having this hope on him purifies himself just as he is pure. 4 Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that he was manifested in order that he forgive [your] sins, and sin is not in him. 6 Everyone abiding in him does not sin. Everyone sinning has not seen him nor known him. 7 Children, let1 no one be deceiving you. The [one] doing justice is just, just as he is just. 8 The [one] doing sins is from the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. For this [purpose] was the son of God manifested, in order that he destroy the works of the devil. 9 Everyone born from God does not sin, because his seed abides in him, and he is not able to be sinning, because he is born from God. 10 By this are manifest the children of God and the children of the devil: Everyone not doing justice is not from God, and the [one] not agape-loving his brother. 11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we be agape-loving one another, 12 not just as Cain [who] was from the pernicious [one], and killed his brother. And for what reason did he kill him? Because his works were wicked2 and [those] of his brother [were] just. 13 Be not marveling, brothers, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed over from death to zoe-life3 , because we agape-love the brothers. The [one] not agape-loving abides in death. 15 Everyone hating his brother is [a] murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal zoe-life3 abiding in him. 16 By this have we known agape-love, because he laid down his psyche-life4 for us, and we ought to lay-down [our] psyche-lives4 for [our] brothers. 17 Whoever has the things-for-life of the world and beholds his brother having need and shuts his affection from him, how does the agape-love of God abide in him? 18 Children, let us not be agape-loving in word nor in tongue, but in work and in truth. 19 By this we will know that we are from the truth, and will assure our heart before him. 20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything. 21 Agape-beloved, if [our] heart does not condemn us, we have boldness with God, 22 and whatever we ask5 we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and we do the pleasing [thing] before him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ and be agape-loving one another, just as he gave [the] commandment to us. 24 And the [one] keeping his commandments abides in him, and he in him, and by this we know that he abides in us, from the spirit which he gave us.1imperative
2PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.
3from ZOE "ZOH-ay" (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected. Although it means 'life' in the conventional sense (for example: Matt.9:18, Matt.27:63, Luke.2:36, Acts.25:24, Rom.7:2, 2Cor.1:8, 1Thes.4:17, 1Tim.5:10, Rev.19:20), Jesus uses ZOE exclusively of 'life eternal' (with the possible exceptions of Luke.15:13, Luke.16:25). The other N.T. writers use ZOE in both senses—temporal and eternal, generally clear from the context. The Father is the 'zoe-living God' (see Matt.16:16). The Septuagint (LXX) in Gen.2:7 has "...[God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of zoe-life, and the man became a zoe-living psyche-life" (and see 1Cor.15:45); and Gen.3:20 (LXX) "And Adam called his wife's name ZOE, because she was the mother of all zoe-living." Contrast PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. See John.12:25 where both ZOE and PSYCHE occur. Greek also has the word BIOS (βιoς ) for 'life' in the sense of biological processes.
4from PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. Animals have PSYCHEs as well as humans. Contrast ZOE (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected.
5AITEO "ay-TEH-oh" (αιτεω) "request", "demand", "beg" something for oneself. Far from humbly requesting—it's more like 'demanding'. Jesus uses AITEO only of the prayer of others, not of His own (cf. John.16:26)—and not requesting things for Himself, only for others. AITEO seems to suppose a lesser degree of intimacy than EROTAO (ερωταω), hence AITEO is used of the requests of the disciples to God, but EROTAO of the requests of the disciples to Jesus, and of those of Jesus to the Father ( John.14:16). AITEO is demanding/begging/pleading, EROTAO is polite and friendlier. Both AITEO and EROTAO occur in John.16:26.