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 him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and carry out his commandments. 3For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4because everyone who 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 by the water only, but by the water and by the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three agree as one. 9If we receive human testimony, God's testimony is greater, because this is God's testimony: he has testified concerning his Son. 10The one who trusts in the Son of God has the testimony within. The one who does not trust God has made him a liar, because they have not trusted the testimony God has given concerning his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his 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 we have before him: 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 we have asked from him.

Sin and Prayer

16If anyone sees a brother or sister committing a sin not leading to death, they should ask, and God will give life to that person—to those whose sin is not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I am not saying 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. 20We 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 his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life. 21Little children, guard yourselves from idols.