1 John 5:13-21

Expanded Bible

We Have Eternal Life Now

¹³ ·I write this letter [^LI have written these things] to you who believe in the [^Lname of the] Son of God so you will know you have eternal life. ¹⁴ And this is the ·boldness [confidence] we have ·in God’s presence [^Lbefore God; 3:21]: that if we ask God for anything ·that agrees with what he wants [^Laccording to his will], he hears us. ¹⁵ [^LAnd] If we know he hears us ·every time we ask him [in whatever we ask], we know we have what we ask from him [3:21–22; Mark 11:24].

¹⁶ If anyone sees a brother or sister [^Cfellow believer] sinning (sin that does not lead to ·eternal death [^Ldeath]), that person should ·pray [ask; intercede], and God will give the sinner life. I am talking about people whose sin does not lead to ·eternal death [^Ldeath]. There is ·sin [or a sin] that leads to [eternal] death [^Cprobably referring to the false teachers, their rejection of the Spirit’s work having put them beyond repentance; compare Mark 3:29]. I do not mean that a person should ·pray [ask; intercede] about that sin. ¹⁷ ·Doing wrong is always sin [^LAll unrighteousness is sin], but there is sin that does not lead to ·eternal death [^Ldeath].

¹⁸ We know that those who ·are God’s children [^Lare born of/begotten by God] do not ·continue to sin [^Lsin; 3:6, 9]. The ·Son of God [^Lthe one born of/begotten by God; ^CJesus] ·keeps them safe [protects them], and the Evil One [^Cthe Devil] cannot ·touch [harm] them. ¹⁹ We know that we ·belong to God [or are children of God; ^Lare of God], but the Evil One controls the whole world. ²⁰ We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we can know the True One. And ·our lives [^Lwe] are in the True One and in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the eternal life.

²¹ So, dear children [2:1], ·keep yourselves away [guard yourselves] from ·false gods [^Lidols; ^Ceither literal idols or false ideas about God].