1 John 5

Trust that Overcomes the World

1Everyone who trusts that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the one who gives birth also loves the one who has been born from God. 2By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and carry out God’s commandments. 3For this is the love of God: that we keep God’s commandments. And the commandments are not burdensome,

4because everything that has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our trust. 5Who is the one who overcomes the world except the one who trusts that Jesus is the Son of God?

The Testimony Concerning the Son

6This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ—not in the water only, but in the water and in the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three agree as one.

9If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God: that God has testified concerning the Son. 10The one who trusts in the Son of God has the testimony in themselves. The one who does not trust God has made God a liar, because they have not trusted in the testimony that God has testified concerning the Son. 11And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. 12The one who has the Son has life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Confidence in Eternal Life

13I have written these things to you who trust in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14And this is the confidence that we have before God: if we ask anything according to God’s will, God hears us. 15And if we know that God hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from God.

Sin and Prayer

16If anyone sees a brother or sister committing a sin not leading to death, they shall ask, and God will give life to that one—to those whose sin is not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I do not say that one should ask concerning that. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Knowing the True God

18We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who was born of God keeps them, and the evil one does not touch them. 19We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the True One; and we are in the True One, in God’s Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.

21Little children, guard yourselves from idols.