1 John 5
Worldwide English (New Testament)
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is God's child. And everyone who loves the Father loves his child.
2 This is how we know we love God's children. We love God and we obey his laws.
3 We show that we love God when we obey his laws. His laws are not hard to obey.
4 Everyone who is God's child wins a victory over the world. We win because we believe God.
5 Who wins a victory over the world? It is only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 There was water and there was blood when Jesus Christ came. There was not water only, but there was water and there was blood. The Spirit proves this is true, because the Spirit is true.
7 There are three in heaven who prove it is true. They are the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one.
8 There are three on earth who prove it is true. They are the spirit, the water, and the blood. These three all prove the same thing.
9 We believe what people prove to us. But when God proves something it is stronger than what people prove. This is what God proved about his Son.
10 Anyone who believes in God's Son believes what God says about him. Anyone who does not believe God shows that he thinks what God says is not true. He has not believed what God says about his Son.
11 Here is what God says. He has given us life that will last for ever. And this life is in his Son.
12 So anyone who has the Son has this life. Anyone who does not have the Son of God does not have this life.
13 I have written these things to you who believe on the name of the Son of God. I have written them so that you will know that you will live for ever.
14 And we are sure God will do this. If we ask him for anything that he wants us to have, he will listen to us.
15 And if we know he listens to us when we ask for anything, then we know that we have what we asked him for.
16 Maybe a man sees his brother do something wrong, but not so bad that he must die for it. The man should ask God and God will let his brother live. God will let people live if the things they have done are not so bad that they must die for them. But there are things so wrong that a person must die for them. If he has done such as that, I do not tell the man to ask God to let him live.
17 Everything that is wrong is a bad thing. But not every bad thing is so wrong that a person must die for it.
18 We know that any child of God does not do wrong things. The Son of God keeps him safe and the devil cannot touch him.
19 We know that we belong to God and the whole world belongs to the devil.
20 We know that the Son of God has come. He has given us a heart to know him who is true. We belong to him who is true, because we belong to his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God. He has the life that will live for ever.
21 My children, have nothing to do with false gods or idols.
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 John 5:16 Greek he
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
