Faith in the Son of God

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah] is ·God’s child [^Lborn of/begotten by God], and whoever loves the Father also loves the ·Father’s children [^Lone born of/begotten by him]. ² ·This is how [By/In this] we know we love God’s children: when we love God and ·obey [perform; carry out] his commands. ³ ·Loving God means [^LFor this is the love of God:] ·obeying [keeping] his commands. And God’s commands are not ·too hard [burdensome] for us [Matt. 11:30], ⁴ because everyone who is ·a child of [^Lborn of; begotten of] God ·conquers [defeats; overcomes] the world. And this is the ·victory [conquest] that ·conquers [defeats; overcomes] the world—our faith. ⁵ ·So the one who conquers the world is [or Who is it that conquers/defeats/overcomes the world but…?] the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

⁶ Jesus Christ is the One who came by water [^Clikely a reference to Jesus’ baptism] and blood [^Ca reference to his death]. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit ·says that this is true [is the one who testifies/bears witness; Mark 1:11; John 1:32–34], because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ ·So [or For] there are three ·witnesses^[a] [who testify/bear witness]: ⁸ the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three witnesses ·agree [^Lare one]. ⁹ ·We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important [^LIf we accept the witness/testimony of people, the witness/testimony of God is better], ·and he has told us the truth about his own Son [^Lbecause this is the witness/testimony God has given about his Son]. ¹⁰ Anyone who believes in the Son of God ·has the truth that God told us [or has the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit; or has the testimony of the eyewitnesses (see 1:1–4); ^Lhas the witness/testimony in himself]. Anyone who does not believe makes God a liar [1:10], because that person does not believe ·what God told us [^Lthe witness/testimony that God witnessed/testified to] about his Son. ¹¹ This is ·what God told us [^Lthe witness/testimony]: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

We Have Eternal Life Now

¹³ ·I write this letter [^LI have written these things] to you who believe in the [^Lname of the] Son of God so you will know you have eternal life. ¹⁴ And this is the ·boldness [confidence] we have ·in God’s presence [^Lbefore God; 3:21]: that if we ask God for anything ·that agrees with what he wants [^Laccording to his will], he hears us. ¹⁵ [^LAnd] If we know he hears us ·every time we ask him [in whatever we ask], we know we have what we ask from him [3:21–22; Mark 11:24].

¹⁶ If anyone sees a brother or sister [^Cfellow believer] sinning (sin that does not lead to ·eternal death [^Ldeath]), that person should ·pray [ask; intercede], and God will give the sinner life. I am talking about people whose sin does not lead to ·eternal death [^Ldeath]. There is ·sin [or a sin] that leads to [eternal] death [^Cprobably referring to the false teachers, their rejection of the Spirit’s work having put them beyond repentance; compare Mark 3:29]. I do not mean that a person should ·pray [ask; intercede] about that sin. ¹⁷ ·Doing wrong is always sin [^LAll unrighteousness is sin], but there is sin that does not lead to ·eternal death [^Ldeath].

¹⁸ We know that those who ·are God’s children [^Lare born of/begotten by God] do not ·continue to sin [^Lsin; 3:6, 9]. The ·Son of God [^Lthe one born of/begotten by God; ^CJesus] ·keeps them safe [protects them], and the Evil One [^Cthe Devil] cannot ·touch [harm] them. ¹⁹ We know that we ·belong to God [or are children of God; ^Lare of God], but the Evil One controls the whole world. ²⁰ We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we can know the True One. And ·our lives [^Lwe] are in the True One and in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the eternal life.

²¹ So, dear children [2:1], ·keep yourselves away [guard yourselves] from ·false gods [^Lidols; ^Ceither literal idols or false ideas about God].