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1 John 5
Legacy Standard Bible

Overcoming the World

5 (A)Everyone who believes that Jesus is the [a]Christ has been [b](B)born of God, and everyone who loves the [c]One who gives new birth (C)loves also the one who has been [d]born of Him. 2 (D)By this we know that (E)we love the children of God, when we love God and do His commandments. 3 For (F)this is the love of God, that we (G)keep His commandments; and (H)His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everything that has been [e](I)born of God (J)overcomes the world; and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world—our faith.

5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who (K)believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is the One who came (L)by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not [f]with the water only, but [g]with the water and [h]with the blood. It is (M)the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are (N)three that bear witness: 8 [i]the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are [j]in agreement. 9 (O)If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that (P)He has borne witness about His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God (Q)has this witness in himself. The one who does not believe God has (R)made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has borne witness about His Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God gave us (S)eternal life, and (T)this life is in His Son. 12 (U)He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have that life.

That You May Know

13 (V)These things I have written to you who (W)believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have (X)eternal life. 14 And this is (Y)the confidence which we have [k]before Him, that, (Z)if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, (AA)we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

16 If anyone sees his brother [l]committing a sin not leading to death, (AB)he shall ask and [m]God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. (AC)There is a sin leading to death; (AD)I do not say that he should make request for this. 17 (AE)All unrighteousness is sin, and (AF)there is a sin not leading to death.

18 (AG)We know that (AH)no one who has been [n]born of God sins; but He who was [o]begotten of God (AI)keeps him, and (AJ)the evil one does not (AK)touch him. 19 (AL)We know that (AM)we are of God, and that (AN)the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And (AO)we know that (AP)the Son of God has come, and has (AQ)given us understanding so that we may know (AR)Him who is true; and we (AS)are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. (AT)This is the true God and (AU)eternal life.

21 (AV)Little children, guard yourselves from (AW)idols.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 5:1 Messiah
  2. 1 John 5:1 Or begotten
  3. 1 John 5:1 Lit one who begets
  4. 1 John 5:1 Or begotten
  5. 1 John 5:4 Or begotten
  6. 1 John 5:6 Lit in
  7. 1 John 5:6 Lit in
  8. 1 John 5:6 Lit in
  9. 1 John 5:8 A few late mss add ...in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit
  10. 1 John 5:8 Lit for the one thing
  11. 1 John 5:14 Lit toward
  12. 1 John 5:16 Lit sinning
  13. 1 John 5:16 Or God will give him life, that is, to those who...
  14. 1 John 5:18 Or begotten
  15. 1 John 5:18 Or born
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1 John 5
English Standard Version

Overcoming the World

5 (A)Everyone who believes that (B)Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and (C)everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 (D)By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For (E)this is the love of God, that we (F)keep his commandments. And (G)his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For (H)everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—(I)our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes (J)that Jesus is the Son of God?

Testimony Concerning the Son of God

6 This is he who came (K)by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And (L)the Spirit is the one who testifies, because (M)the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 (N)If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God (O)that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God (P)has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God (Q)has made him a liar, (R)because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us (S)eternal life, and (T)this life is in his Son. 12 (U)Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

That You May Know

13 I write (V)these things to you who (W)believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is (X)the confidence that we have toward him, that (Y)if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and (Z)God[a] will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. (AA)There is sin that leads to death; (AB)I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 (AC)All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

18 We know that (AD)everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but (AE)he who was born of God (AF)protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

19 We know that we are from God, and (AG)the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and (AH)has given us understanding, so that we may know (AI)him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and (AJ)eternal life. 21 Little children, (AK)keep yourselves from idols.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 5:16 Greek he
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1 John 5
Living Bible

5 If you believe that Jesus is the Christ—that he is God’s Son and your Savior—then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love his children too. 2 So you can find out how much you love God’s children—your brothers and sisters in the Lord—by how much you love and obey God. 3 Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn’t hard at all; 4 for every child of God can obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him.

5 But who could possibly fight and win this battle except by believing that Jesus is truly the Son of God? 6-8 And we know he is, because God said so with a voice from heaven when Jesus was baptized, and again as he was facing death[a]—yes, not only at his baptism but also as he faced death. And the Holy Spirit, forever truthful, says it too. So we have these three witnesses: the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the voice from heaven at Christ’s baptism, and the voice before he died. And they all say the same thing: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 9 We believe men who witness in our courts, and so surely we can believe whatever God declares. And God declares that Jesus is his Son. 10 All who believe this know in their hearts that it is true. If anyone doesn’t believe this, he is actually calling God a liar because he doesn’t believe what God has said about his Son.

11 And what is it that God has said? That he has given us eternal life and that this life is in his Son. 12 So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life.

13 I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we are sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. 15 And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us.

16 If you see a Christian sinning in a way that does not end in death, you should ask God to forgive him, and God will give him life unless he has sinned that one fatal sin. But there is that one sin which ends in death, and if he has done that, there is no use praying for him. 17 Every wrong is a sin, of course. I’m not talking about these ordinary sins; I am speaking of that one that ends in death.[b]

18 No one who has become part of God’s family makes a practice of sinning, for Christ, God’s Son, holds him securely, and the devil cannot get his hands on him. 19 We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control. 20 And we know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ his Son, who is the only true God; and he is eternal Life.

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. Amen.

Sincerely, John

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 5:6 as he was facing death, literally, “This is he who came by water and blood,” see Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 9:31, 35; John 12:27-28, 32-33. Other interpretations of this verse are equally possible. as he faced death, literally, “not by water only, but by water and blood.” and the voice before he died, literally, “the Spirit, and the water, and the blood.” that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, implied.
  2. 1 John 5:17 that one that ends in death. Commentators differ widely in their thoughts about what sin this is and whether it causes physical death or spiritual death. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit results in spiritual death (Mark 3:29), but can a Christian ever sin in such a way? Impenitence at the Communion Table sometimes ends in physical death (1 Corinthians 11:30). And Hebrews 6:4-8 speaks of the terrible end of those who fall away.
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1 John 5
American Standard Version

5 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God: and whosoever loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. 5 And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not [a]with the water only, but [b]with the water and [c]with the blood. 7 And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 8 For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.

13 These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: 15 and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. 16 If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, [d]he shall ask, and God will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is [e]a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request. 17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is [f]a sin not unto death.

18 We know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but he that was begotten of God keepeth [g]himself, and the evil one toucheth him not. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 21 My little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 5:6 Greek in.
  2. 1 John 5:6 Greek in.
  3. 1 John 5:6 Greek in.
  4. 1 John 5:16 Or, he shall ask and shall give him life, even to them etc.
  5. 1 John 5:16 Or, sin
  6. 1 John 5:17 Or, sin
  7. 1 John 5:18 Some ancient authorities read him.
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