1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our[a] faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is He who came by water and
blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7 For there are three that bear
witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three
are one. 8 And there are three that
bear witness on earth:[b]
the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive the witness of men,
the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which[c]
He has testified of His Son. 10 He
who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not
believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that
God has given of His Son. 11 And
this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
His Son. 12 He who has the Son has
life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 These things I have written to
you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have
eternal life,[d]
and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 Now this is the confidence that
we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother
sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He
will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There
is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and
there is sin not leading to death.
18 We know that whoever is born of
God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself,[e]
and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and
the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God
has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true;
and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and
eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Amen.
Footnotes:
In this chapter the apostle treats of the nature of faith and love; of Christ
the object of both, and of the witness that is bore to him; of the necessity of
believing the testimony concerning him; of the confidence of prayer being heard,
and concerning whom it should be made; of the happiness of regenerate persons,
and of their duty to keep themselves from idols. Faith in Christ is the evidence
of regeneration, and where that is, there will be love to the author of
regeneration, and to them that are regenerated; and love to them is known by
love to God, and keeping his commandments; and keeping the commandments of God,
and which are not grievous, is a proof of love to God,
1Jo 5:1; and
whereas every regenerate man overcomes the world, it is by his faith, the
evidence of his regeneration, that this victory is obtained; nor can any other
man be pointed out that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is
the Son of God, 1Jo
5:4; and Christ, the Son of God, the object of this victorious faith, is
described by his coming by water and blood, of which the spirit is witness, who
is a true one; and six witnesses of the truth of this and his divine sonship are
produced, three in heaven, the Father, Word, and Spirit, who are the one God,
and three on earth, the Spirit, water, and blood, who agree in their testimony,
1Jo 5:6;
wherefore this testimony concerning the Son of God ought to be received, since
it is the testimony of God, which is greater than that of men; besides, he that
believes in Christ has a witness of this in himself, and honours God, whereas he
that believes not makes God a liar, not giving credit to his record concerning
his Son; the sum of which is, that God has made a grant of eternal life to some
persons, which is in his Son, which those that believe in the Son of God have,
but those that do not believe in him have it not: all which show the necessity
of receiving the above testimony; and the ends proposed in writing these things
were, to believe in Christ, and that it might be known they had eternal life in
him, 1Jo 5:9,
and from faith in Christ the apostle passes to confidence in prayer, as a
particular effect and fruit of it: as, that whatever is asked according to the
will of God is heard; and that such who are satisfied of this, that they are
heard, may be assured that they have the petitions they desire to have,
1Jo 5:14, and
whereas it is one branch of prayer to pray for others as well as for ourselves,
the apostle directs who we should pray for; for the brethren in general, and in
particular for such who have sinned, but not unto death, and life shall be given
to such: but as for those who have sinned unto death, he does not say prayer
should be made for them, for though all unrighteousness in general is sin, yet
there is a particular sin which is unto death, and is not to be prayed for,
1Jo 5:16; but
happy are those who are born of God, for they do not sin this sin; and through
the use of the armour of God, and the power of divine grace, they keep
themselves from the evil one, and he cannot come at them, to draw them into this
sin; also they know that they are of God, and are distinguished from the world,
which lies in wickedness; yea, they know that the Son of God is come in the
flesh, and hath given them an understanding of the true God, by which they know
that they are in him, and in his Son Jesus Christ, who is with him, and the
divine Spirit, the one true God, and the author and giver of eternal life,
1Jo 5:18; and
the chapter, and with it the epistle, is concluded with an exhortation to these
regenerate ones, as they had kept themselves from Satan, that they would also
keep themselves from idols of all sorts,
1Jo 5:21.