Born of the Father, Born to Overcome
5 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of our Father, and everyone who loves the Father who gives birth also loves the child born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of our Father: when we love our Father and carry out his commands. 3 For this is the love of our Father: that we keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. 4 for everyone born of our Father overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of our Father? 6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And the Holy Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Holy Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are in agreement.
9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of our Father is greater—for this is our Father's testimony: that he has testified about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of our Father has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe has made him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony our Father has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that our Father has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of our Father does not have life.
Confidence Before the Father
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of our Father, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence we have before 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 what we asked him for.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should ask, and our Father will give him life—to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that anyone born of our Father does not continue in sin; the One who was born of our Father keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot touch him. a a v18 Every believer is born of our Father, and Jesus, uniquely born of our Father, protects them from the evil one. 19 We know that we are of our Father, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of our Father has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know the One who is true; and we are in the One who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. b b v20 John's closing words name Jesus Christ "the true God and eternal life"—one of Scripture's clearest declarations that the Son shares the Father's own divine nature.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.