1 John 5

Faith in the Son of God

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ#5:1 Or the Messiah. has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

6And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross#5:6 Greek This is he who came by water and blood.—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7So we have these three witnesses#5:7 A few very late manuscripts add in heaven—the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And we have three witnesses on earth.— 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. 9Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.

11And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

Conclusion

13I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 14And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

16If you see a fellow believer#5:16 Greek a brother. sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. 17All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.

18We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

20And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God.#5:20 Greek the one who is true. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

21Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.#5:21 Greek keep yourselves from idols.

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1 John 5

Overcoming the World

1 # John 1:12 Everyone who believes that #ch. 2:22Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and #John 8:42everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2#ch. 2:5; 3:24; 4:13By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3For #2 John 6; See John 14:15this is the love of God, that we #See ch. 2:3keep his commandments. And #Matt. 11:30his commandments are not burdensome. 4For #ch. 3:9; 4:4; John 16:33everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—#[1 Cor. 15:57; Eph. 6:16]our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes #ch. 4:15that Jesus is the Son of God?

Testimony Concerning the Son of God

6This is he who came #[ver. 8] by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And #John 15:26; [Acts 5:32] the Spirit is the one who testifies, because #John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9#John 5:34, 36, 37; 8:17, 18If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God #See Matt. 3:17that he has borne concerning his Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God #[Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6; Rev. 12:17; 19:10] has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God #ch. 1:10; [John 3:33] has made him a liar, #[John 5:38]because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11And this is the testimony, that God gave us #ch. 2:25; [ch. 4:9] eternal life, and #See John 1:4this life is in his Son. 12#[John 3:15, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47]Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

That You May Know

13I write #John 20:31these things to you who #John 1:12believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14And this is #ch. 2:28; 3:21; 4:17the confidence that we have toward him, that #ch. 3:22; [Prov. 10:24]if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and #[Job 42:8; James 5:15] God#5:16 Greek he will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. #Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26There is sin that leads to death; #[Jer. 7:16; 14:11]I do not say that one should pray for that. 17#[ch. 3:4]All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

18We know that #ch. 3:9everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but #John 1:18he who was born of God #John 17:12protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

19We know that we are from God, and #[Luke 4:6; Gal. 1:4]the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

20And we know that the Son of God has come and #[Luke 24:45] has given us understanding, so that we may know #See John 17:3; Rev. 3:7him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and #ver. 11-13eternal life. 21Little children, #1 Cor. 10:7, 14keep yourselves from idols.

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