1 John 5

1-3 Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived. The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.

The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees

4-5 Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

6-8 Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God's presence at Jesus' baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.

9-10 If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God's testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God's own testimony regarding his Son.

11-12 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

The Reality, Not the Illusion

13-15 My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours.

16-17 For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I'm not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is "fatal," leading to eternal death), we ask for God's help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I'm not urging you to pray about that. Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.

18-21 We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can't lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it's only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God's Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.

1 John 5

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christt has been fatheredt by God, and everyone who loves the fathers loves the child fathered by him.s2 By thist we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments.3 Fort this is the love of God:t that we keep his commandments.t And his commandments do not weigh us down,

4 becauset everyonet who has been fathered by Gods conquerst the world.s
Thist is the conquering powert that has conqueredt the world: our faith.

Testimony About the Son

5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes thatt Jesus is the Son of God?6 Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood – not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, becauset the Spirit is the truth.7 Fort there are three that testify,sss

8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement.
9 If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, becauset thist is the testimony of God thatt he has testified concerning his Son.10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.)s11 And this is the testimony: Godt has given us eternal life,s and this life is in his Son.

12 The one who has the Sons has thist eternalt life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have thist eternalt life.

Assurance of Eternal Life

13 I have written these thingst to you who believet in the name of the Son of God so thatt you may know that you have eternal life.
14 And this is the confidence that we have before him: thatt whenevert we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.15 And if we knowt that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.16 Ift anyone sees his fellow Christiant committing a sin not resulting in death,t he should ask, and Godt will grantt life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death.t There is a sin resulting in death.t I do not say that he should ask about that.

17 All unrighteousnesst is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.t
18 We know that everyone fatheredt by God does not sin, but Godt protectst the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him.19 We know that we are from God,t and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to knowt him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This ones is the true God and eternal life.

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.ss