17 Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God.
18 My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
19 This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God's presence.
20 If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything.
21 And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God's presence.
22 We receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
23 What he commands is that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as Christ commanded us.