1 John 5
New Matthew Bible
To love God is to keep his commandments. Faith overcomes the world. Everlasting life is in the Son of God. Of the sin unto death.
5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And everyone who loves him who begat, loves also the child who was born of him. 2 In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep his commandments. 3 This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not grievous. 4 For all that is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This Jesus Christ is he who came by water and blood – not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 (For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.) 8 And there are three which bear witness (in earth): the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three are one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which he testified of his Son. 10 He who believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is that testimony: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son of God, does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life, and so that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the trust that we have in him: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we will have the petitions that we ask of him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sin a sin that is not unto death, let him ask, and he will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death, for which I do not say that a person should pray. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not unto death.
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and that the world is altogether set on wickedness. 20 We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us a mind to know him who is true. And we are in him who is true through his Son Jesus Christ. This same is very God and eternal life.
21 Babes, keep yourselves
from idols.
Amen.
1 John 5
EasyEnglish Bible
Believe in Jesus Christ
5 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. 2 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. 3 Because, if we really love God, we will obey his commands. And those commands are not difficult for us to obey. 4 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. 5 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.
6 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. 7 So there are three things that show us clearly that Jesus came from God. 8 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]
9 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 5:18 Or: ‘God keeps his children safe.’
- 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.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
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