1John  ◦   Chapter 1

1He from whom all things began, who is the very source of all life, is he whom we have heard with our own ears, seen with our own eyes, and touched with our own hands. And he is the Word of Life that we proclaim.2This original, unborrowed, underived Life appeared on earth and we have seen him and testify to him. It is this pre-existent, eternal Life which was with the Father — and is the source of all life — that has appeared to us, and it is this Life that we are sharing with you.3We are telling you the truth we have seen and heard, so that you may join us in the unity of friendship and love. And our unity is our companionship and oneness with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.4We write this to share the truth and bring more people into this fellowship and thus make our joy complete.

5This is the message we have heard him teach and seen him reveal, and which we declare to you: God is the source of all truth, love, purity and enlightenment; in him there is no deceit, selfishness, depravity, or ignorance.6If we claim to be God's friends yet live selfishly, dishonestly, wickedly and ignorantly–we lie and misrepresent God and do not live by his methods of truth and love.7But if we live our lives in the light of truth and love (as he is truth and love), we have unity, harmony and oneness with one another; and the life of Jesus, his Son, purges us of all selfishness.

8If we claim that we are not infected with selfishness, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.9If we humbly confess and acknowledge our terminal selfish condition, he faithfully and rightly forgives us for all the mistakes we made while living in selfishness; but more importantly–he heals us from all corruption, decay, and sickness of heart and mind.10If we claim that we have not been selfish, then we call God a liar; and his truth, his methods, and his principles are not in us.