1 John 5

5Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,^ak and everyone who loves the Father^A also loves the one born of him. ²This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey^B his commands. ³For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden,^{al 4}because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.

THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S TESTIMONY

⁵Who is the one who conquers the world^am but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?^{an 6}Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water^ao and by blood.^ap And the Spirit is the one who testifies,^aq because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three that testify:^{ar 8}the Spirit,^as the water, and the blood^at—and these three are in agreement. ⁹If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony^a is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. ¹⁰The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar,^b because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²The one who has the Son has life.^c The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³I have written these things to you who believe in the name^d of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

¹⁴This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask^e anything according to his will, he hears us.^{f 15}And if we know that he hears whatever we ask,^g we know that we have what we have asked of him.^h

¹⁶If anyone sees a fellow believer^D committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin^E that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that. ¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that doesn’t lead to death.

CONCLUSION

¹⁸We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him,^Fi and the evil one does not touch him. ¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. ²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come^j and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one.^G We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ.^k He is the true God and eternal life.

²¹Little children, guard yourselves from idols.