The Certainty of God’s Testimony

Who is the one who conquers the world(A) but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?(B) Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water(C) and by blood.(D) And the Spirit is the one who testifies,(E) because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify:[a](F) the Spirit,(G) the water, and the blood(H)—and these three are in agreement. If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony(I) is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:7–8 A few late Gk mss and some late Vg mss add testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three who bear witness on earth:

Now who is the one who conquers the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ, not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify,[a] the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement[b].

If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 5:7 Later Latin manuscripts add the following words to v. 7 and v. 8: “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth”
  2. 1 John 5:8 Literally “for the one”