First John 3:1-24

  • We be children of God (1-3)

  • God children and Devil children (4-12)

    • Jesus go scatter Devil work (8)

  • Love each other (13-18)

  • God big pass our heart (19-24)

3  See the kind big love wey the Papa don show us, as e gree say make them call us children of God! And na wetin we be. But the people of the world no know us, because them no know God.  My dear brothers, now we don be children of God, but wetin we go be for future never dey clear to us. But we know say when e go show imself to us, we go be like-am, because na just as e be we go see-am.  And anybody wey get hope because of-am de make imself clean, just as e dey clean.  Anybody wey continue to de sin de break law, because when person sin, e don break the law be that.  Una still know say e come to remove our sins, and e no de ever sin.  Anybody wey dey as one with-am no de continue to sin; anybody wey continue to sin na person wey never see-am or know-am.  My small children, make una no let anybody deceive una; the person wey continue to do wetin correct for God eye na righteous person, just as e* dey righteous.  The person wey continue to sin na from Devil, because the Devil don de sin from beginning.* Na because of this one the Son of God come, to scatter* Devil work.  Anybody wey don be God pikin no de continue to sin, because God seed* dey inside the person, so e no fit continue to sin because e don turn to God pikin. 10  Na wetin we go take know the children of God and the children of the Devil be this: Anybody wey no continue to do wetin correct for God eye, no be God pikin. Na so e still be for anybody wey no love im brother. 11  Because the message wey una don hear from the beginning na say, make we love each other. 12  Make we no be like Cain wey come from the wicked person and kill im brother. But why e kill-am? Na because e de do wicked things, but im brother de do wetin correct for God eye. 13  Brothers, make una no surprise say the world hate una. 14  We know say we don comot from death enter life because we love the brothers. Person wey no de show love be like person wey don die. 15  Anybody wey de hate im brother na killer, and una know say no killer go get life wey no go end. 16  Because Jesus gree die* for us, we don know wetin love be, so we too must ready to die* for our brothers. 17  But if anybody get enough things for this world, and e see im brother wey need help, but e no gree show-am pity, how that person fit talk say e love God? 18  My small children, make our love no be only for mouth, but make we show-am for the things wey we de do, and make e dey real. 19  Na this one go make us know say we de support the truth, and as God de see us, we go dey sure for our heart* 20  even when our heart de try to condemn us, because God big pass our heart and e know everything. 21  My dear brothers, if our heart no condemn us, we no go fear to talk to God; 22  and e de give us anything wey we beg-am for, because we de follow im commandments, and we de do wetin good for im eye. 23  True-true, e don command us say: make we get faith for the name of im Son Jesus Christ and love each other, just as e don command us. 24  Apart from that one, person wey de follow im commandments go continue to dey as one with-am and e go dey as one with that person. And because e don give us im spirit, we know say e still dey as one with us.

Footnotes

This one na, Jesus.
Or “from when e start.”
Or “destroy.”
This one na, seed wey fit produce fruit.
Or “gree sacrifice im life; gree sacrifice im soul.”
Or “sacrifice our life; sacrifice our soul.”
Or “convince ourself.”