Add parallel Print Page Options

Every one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, of God he hath been begotten, and every one who is loving Him who did beget, doth love also him who is begotten of Him:

in this we know that we love the children of God, when we may love God, and His commands may keep;

for this is the love of God, that His commands we may keep, and His commands are not burdensome;

because every one who is begotten of God doth overcome the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world -- our faith;

who is he who is overcoming the world, if not he who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God?

This one is he who did come through water and blood -- Jesus the Christ, not in the water only, but in the water and the blood; and the Spirit it is that is testifying, because the Spirit is the truth,

because three are who are testifying [in the heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these -- the three -- are one;

and three are who are testifying in the earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are into the one.

If the testimony of men we receive, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that He hath testified concerning His Son.

10 He who is believing in the Son of God, hath the testimony in himself; he who is not believing God, a liar hath made Him, because he hath not believed in the testimony that God hath testified concerning His Son;

11 and this is the testimony, that life age-during did God give to us, and this -- the life -- is in His Son;

12 he who is having the Son, hath the life; he who is not having the Son of God -- the life he hath not.

13 These things I did write to you who are believing in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that life ye have age-during, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the boldness that we have toward Him, that if anything we may ask according to his will, He doth hear us,

15 and if we have known that He doth hear us, whatever we may ask, we have known that we have the requests that we have requested from Him.

16 If any one may see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give to him life to those sinning not unto death; there is sin to death, not concerning it do I speak that he may beseech;

17 all unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not unto death.

18 We have known that every one who hath been begotten of God doth not sin, but he who was begotten of God doth keep himself, and the evil one doth not touch him;

19 we have known that of God we are, and the whole world in the evil doth lie;

20 and we have known that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a mind, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ; this one is the true God and the life age-during!

21 Little children, guard yourselves from the idols! Amen.

Believe in Jesus Christ

Everyone who believes that Jesus is God's Messiah has become a child of God. And if we love God, our Father, we will love his other children too. How do we know that we love God's children? We know it when we love God and we do what he tells us to do. Because, if we really love God, we will obey his commands. And those commands are not difficult for us to obey. Because we have become God's children, we can live in a good way. We can refuse to live like people who belong to this world. We are able to win against the wrong ways of this world because we trust Jesus Christ. It is only people who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who can do that. Only they can win against the wrong ways of this world.

Jesus Christ is the man that God sent into the world. John baptized Jesus in water. When Jesus died, his blood poured out. God showed that Jesus is his Son with the water and with the blood. It was not only with the water of Jesus' baptism. It was also with the blood of his death. God's Holy Spirit also shows us that Jesus is God's Son. The Holy Spirit always says what is true. So there are three things that show us clearly that Jesus came from God. Those things are the Holy Spirit, the water of Jesus' baptism and the blood of his death on the cross. These all show us the same thing, that Jesus came from God.[a]

We believe people who tell us about things that they know. So we can believe even more what God says. He has told us what is true about his Son. So we should believe his message.

10 Anyone who believes in Jesus, the Son of God, will know that what God says is true. But anyone who does not believe God is saying that God tells lies. He does not believe the message that God has told us clearly about his Son. 11 This is what God has told us: God has given us life with him that never ends. We receive this life when we believe in his Son, Jesus. 12 So whoever belongs to the Son has this true life. But anyone who does not belong to the Son of God does not have this true life.

Christians have true life with God

13 I have written these things to you who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I want you to know that you have true life with God for ever. 14 Also, we can trust God to help us when we turn to him. We know that he will hear us. When we ask for anything that he wants us to have, he listens to us. 15 Since we know that, we also know that God will give to us the things that we ask for. It is like we have already received those things from him.

16 If you see that another Christian is doing something bad, this is what you should do. If it is a sin that does not cause death, pray that God will help him. Then God will help that person to live for ever with him. That is for a sin which does not cause death. But there is a sin that causes death. If another Christian does that, I am not saying that you should pray for God to help that person. 17 Any wrong thing that a person does is sin. But not all sins cause death.[b]

18 Nobody who has become a child of God continues to do wrong things. Instead, the Son of God keeps him safe.[c] Satan cannot do anything against a child of God. 19 We know that we belong to God. We know that Satan rules all the people who belong to this world. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come into the world. He has helped us to understand what is true. As a result, we know the only true God. We live together with this true God, because we belong to his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God. He is the one who gives us life with God for ever.

21 My little children, be careful to keep away from idols.[d]

Footnotes

  1. 5:8 When John baptized Jesus, God spoke from heaven. He said, ‘This is my Son.’ See Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35. When Jesus died on the cross, he did that as a sacrifice to save us from our sins. His blood was the blood of a sacrifice offered to God.
  2. 5:17 ‘A sin that causes death’ is when someone does a bad thing that takes him completely away from life with God. A sin like that causes a person to die in their spirit, so that they can no longer live with God for ever.
  3. 5:18 Or: ‘God keeps his children safe.’
  4. 5:21 John is writing this letter to help Christians to know God better. He wants them to be sure that they have true life with God. If we trust in Jesus as the Son of God, we become God's children. God will hear us when we pray to him. He will give us the good things that he chooses for us. God will keep us safe from the power of Satan. He will help us to do what is good, so that we do not continue to do wrong things.