5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the * Messiah has been born of God, z and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey a His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, b 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the * world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who conquers the world c but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? d

The Certainty of God’s Testimony

6 Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water e and by blood. f And the Spirit is the One who testifies, g because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: h i 8 the Spirit, j the water, and the blood k—and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony l is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. 10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, m because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.) 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 The one who has the Son has life. n The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name o of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Effective Prayer

14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask p anything according to His will, He hears us. q 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, r we know that we have what we have asked Him for. s

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God t will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin u that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death.

Conclusion

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One v who is born of God keeps him, w x y and the evil one does not touch him.

19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come z and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. a We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. b He is the true God and eternal life.

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.