1 John 5
Expanded Bible
Faith in the Son of God
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah] is ·God’s child [L born of/begotten by God], and whoever loves the Father also loves the ·Father’s children [L one born of/begotten by him]. 2 ·This is how [By/In this] we know we love God’s children: when we love God and ·obey [perform; carry out] his commands. 3 ·Loving God means [L For this is the love of God:] ·obeying [keeping] his commands. And God’s commands are not ·too hard [burdensome] for us [Matt. 11:30], 4 because everyone who is ·a child of [L born of; begotten of] God ·conquers [defeats; overcomes] the world. And this is the ·victory [conquest] that ·conquers [defeats; overcomes] the world—our faith. 5 ·So the one who conquers the world is [or Who is it that conquers/defeats/overcomes the world but…?] the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 Jesus Christ is the One who came by water [C likely a reference to Jesus’ baptism] and blood [C a reference to his death]. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit ·says that this is true [is the one who testifies/bears witness; Mark 1:11; John 1:32–34], because the Spirit is the truth. 7 ·So [or For] there are three ·witnesses[a] [who testify/bear witness]: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three witnesses ·agree [L are one]. 9 ·We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important [L If we accept the witness/testimony of people, the witness/testimony of God is better], ·and he has told us the truth about his own Son [L because this is the witness/testimony God has given about his Son]. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God ·has the truth that God told us [or has the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit; or has the testimony of the eyewitnesses (see 1:1–4); L has the witness/testimony in himself]. Anyone who does not believe makes God a liar [1:10], because that person does not believe ·what God told us [L the witness/testimony that God witnessed/testified to] about his Son. 11 This is ·what God told us [L the witness/testimony]: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
We Have Eternal Life Now
13 ·I write this letter [L I have written these things] to you who believe in the [L name 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 [L before God; 3:21]: that if we ask God for anything ·that agrees with what he wants [L according to his will], he hears us. 15 [L And] 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 [C fellow believer] sinning (sin that does not lead to ·eternal death [L death]), 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 [L death]. There is ·sin [or a sin] that leads to [eternal] death [C probably 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 [L All unrighteousness is sin], but there is sin that does not lead to ·eternal death [L death].
18 We know that those who ·are God’s children [L are born of/begotten by God] do not ·continue to sin [L sin; 3:6, 9]. The ·Son of God [L the one born of/begotten by God; C Jesus] ·keeps them safe [protects them], and the Evil One [C the Devil] cannot ·touch [harm] them. 19 We know that we ·belong to God [or are children of God; L are 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 [L we] 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 [L idols; C either literal idols or false ideas about God].
Footnotes
- 1 John 5:7 So … witnesses A few very late Greek copies and the Latin Vulgate continue, “in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three witnesses agree. 8 And there are three witnesses on earth:”
約翰一書 5
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
勝過世界的人
5 每一個信耶穌是基督的人，都是從上帝生的。凡愛生他之上帝的，也愛上帝所生的。 2 當我們愛上帝，遵行祂的命令時，便知道自己也愛祂的兒女。 3 因為我們遵行上帝的命令就是愛上帝，祂的命令並不難遵守。 4 因為凡是從上帝生的人都能勝過世界，使我們得勝的是我們的信心。 5 誰能勝過世界呢？不就是那些信耶穌是上帝的兒子的人嗎？
上帝的見證
6 耶穌基督是藉著水和血來的。祂不單是藉著水來的，也是藉著水和血來的，並且有聖靈為祂做見證，聖靈就是真理。 7 這樣，做見證的共有三樣： 8 聖靈、水和血。這三者是一致的。 9 我們既然接受人的見證，就更該接受上帝的見證，因為上帝為祂的兒子作了見證。 10 信上帝兒子的人心裡有這見證，不信上帝的人等於把上帝當作撒謊的，因為他不信上帝為祂兒子做的見證。 11 這見證就是：上帝已經把永恆的生命賜給我們，這生命在祂兒子裡面。 12 人有上帝的兒子，就有這生命；沒有上帝的兒子，就沒有這生命。
永恆的生命
13 我把這些事寫給你們這些信上帝兒子之名的人，是要你們知道自己有永生。 14 我們若按著上帝的旨意祈求，祂必垂聽，這是我們對上帝的信心。 15 我們既然知道上帝垂聽我們一切的祈求，就知道我們能得到所求的。
16 若有人看見信徒犯了不至於死的罪，就當為他禱告，上帝必將生命賜給他。有的罪會導致死亡，我並不是說你們要為這樣的罪禱告。 17 一切不義的事都是罪，但有的罪不會導致死亡。
18 我們知道從上帝生的不會繼續犯罪，因為上帝的兒子保護他，那惡者無法害他。 19 我們知道自己屬於上帝，全世界都在那惡者手中。
20 我們知道上帝的兒子已經來了，並且賜給了我們悟性，使我們能認識真神。我們在真神裡面，就是在祂兒子耶穌基督裡面。祂是真神，也是永生。
21 孩子們啊，你們要遠離偶像！
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