5 The person who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. The person who loves the Father loves His children also. ² This is the way we know we love God’s children. It is when we love God and obey His Word. ³ Loving God means to obey His Word, and His Word is not hard to obey. ⁴ Every child of God has power over the sins of the world. The way we have power over the sins of the world is by our faith. ⁵ Who could have power over the world except by believing that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶ Jesus Christ came by water and blood. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. The Holy Spirit speaks about this and He is truth. ⁷ There are three Who speak of this in heaven: the Father and the Word and the Holy Spirit. These three are one. ⁸ There are three who speak of this on the earth: the Holy Spirit and the water and the blood. These three speak the same thing. ⁹ If we believe what men say, we can be sure what God says is more important. God has spoken as He has told us about His Son. ¹⁰ The person who puts his trust in God’s Son knows in his own heart that Jesus is the Son of God. The person who does not have his trust in God’s Son makes God a liar. It is because he has not believed the word God spoke about His Son. ¹¹ This is the word He spoke: God gave us life that lasts forever, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He that has the Son has life. He that does not have the Son of God does not have life.

¹³ I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. Now you can know you have life that lasts forever. ¹⁴ We are sure that if we ask anything that He wants us to have, He will hear us. ¹⁵ If we are sure He hears us when we ask, we can be sure He will give us what we ask for. ¹⁶ You may see a Christian brother sinning in a way that does not lead to death. You should pray for him. God will give him life unless he has done that sin that leads to death. There is a sin that leads to death. There is no reason to pray for him if he has done that sin. ¹⁷ Every kind of wrong-doing is sin. But there is a sin that does not lead to death. ¹⁸ We know that no child of God keeps on sinning. The Son of God watches over him and the devil cannot get near him. ¹⁹ We know that we belong to God, but the whole world is under the power of the devil. ²⁰ We know God’s Son has come. He has given us the understanding to know Him Who is the true God. We are joined together with the true God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the life that lasts forever. ²¹ My children, keep yourselves from false gods.