3 When we obey God, we are sure that we know him.
4 But if we claim to know him and don't obey him, we are lying and the truth isn't in our hearts.
5 We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and then we know that we belong to him.
6 If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ.
7 My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard.
8 But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true light already shining.
9 If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.