Read the Bible

¹ The point of this letter is so you will turn loose of your sins. But just in case we fall off and do sin, we have someone who is pleading our case on our behalf before God. That man is Jesus Christ, the only perfect man to ever live—and he is on our side! ² Jesus is the reason our sins can be forgiven. And it's not just our sins, but everyone's.

³ The one way to know for sure you ride for the brand is if you obey God's commands. ⁴ If we say we ride for him, but we don't do what he says, then we are counterfeits and fakes and there is no truth in us at all. ⁵ But if we conduct our lives like God says to, that means we love him. This is how to know if you are really riding for him or not: ⁶ if you ride for God, ride the way Jesus did.

A New Directive

⁷ Cowboys, this directive I am writing to you is not a new one. It's the old one you've heard from the beginning of your ride—love each other and have each other's backs. You already know it. ⁸ But I write to you now about a new one. Or maybe I should say it is the old one made new. Jesus was the embodiment of the command, and so are you who live in him. The darkness is dying away and the light has begun to shine on the horizon.

⁹ If we say we ride in the light, but hate others, we are liars in darkness. ¹⁰ Living in the light boils down to loving others. We love others in such a way as to lift them up and never cause them to sin. ¹¹ Hate lives in the darkness and so do we if it has a place in our hearts. Hate blinds us and we know not which way to turn or what to do. It blinds us to the light.

¹² I write to tell you kids that your sins are forgiven because of Christ. ¹³ I write to you fathers because you ride in faith and know Jesus, who has been there since the beginning. I am writing to you young people to let you know the devil has been defeated.

¹⁴ I write to you kids because you know the Boss. I write to you fathers because you know the one who was there in the beginning. I write to you young people because you are tough. The word of God rides with you and in you, and you have defeated the devil.

¹⁵ Don't love anything in the world or that comes from it. You have to choose between loving the world and what it has to offer or loving God and what he has to offer. ¹⁶ All this stuff most people cherish and hold on to—sinful desires, material things, and everything else like fame, fortune, and pride—none of it comes from God. Those are all worldly things and will get you destroyed. ¹⁷ This entire world is gripped in the throes of death. This world's desires are passing away like paper in a fire. But those who ride for God will live forever.

Jesus's Nemesis

¹⁸ Cowboys, the end is so close you can nearly touch it. You were told Jesus's nemesis would come. Many of his enemies have already come and gone, so we know the time of the end is close. ¹⁹ These folks didn't belong in our crew. That's why they left. If they had belonged with us, they would have stayed. This is just proof they didn't belong with us.

²⁰ But all of y'all are here because Jesus gave y'all the Holy Spirit and you all know the truth. ²¹ I'm not writing you to tell you some truth you don't know. I'm writing to you because you do know the truth. It ain't hard to understand that no lies comes from the truth.

²² Then where do the lies come from? The lies come from those who say Jesus is not who he says he is. These people are the real enemies of Christ. They spit in the face of God and the Son with their lies. ²³ You can't ride for God while rejecting his Son. You don't get one without the other.

²⁴ Hold on to the truth that you've heard from the start. If you keep that truth near and dear to your hearts you will always ride with the Father and the Son. ²⁵ And this is what Jesus has promised his hands who ride for him—perfect, eternal life.

²⁶ I'm writing you to warn you about those who are lying to you about the truth. ²⁷ I know y'all have the Holy Spirit and don't need anyone else's help. The Holy Ghost will explain what is true and what is not. Listen to him and keep riding for Christ.

²⁸ Don't let up and keep going. Keep riding for him as long as your heart beats. Those who ride for him will not want to hide themselves in shame and will be full of courage when he comes riding back over the hill. ²⁹ You know Jesus rides the right way and all his hands do the same as he does.