Overcoming the World

1Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone loving the One having begotten Him also loves the one having been begotten from Him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we should keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4For everyone having been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory having overcome the world: our faith.

5Now who is the one overcoming the world, except the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God? 6This is the One having come by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the One testifying, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three bearing testimony:a 8the Spirit and the water and the blood—and these are three in one.

God's Testimony about His Son

9If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God that He has testified concerning His Son. 10The one believing in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning His Son.

11And this is the testimony: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12The one having the Son has life; the one not having the Son of God does not have life.

Effective Prayer

13I have written these things to you, the ones believing in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.b 14And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we might ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we might ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from Him.

16If anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He will give him life, to those sinning not unto death. There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he should implore concerning that. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not unto death.

Concluding Remarks

18We know that everyone having been born of God does not continue to sin, but the One having been begotten of God protects him,c and the evil one does not touch him. 19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one. 20Now we know that the Son of God is come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.d