1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God, and everyone who loves the one who begot loves also the one begotten of him.
2 This is how we know that we love God's children: when we love God and keep his commandments.
3 For loving God means this, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not heavy.
4 Because everything begotten of God conquers the world; and the victory that has conquered the world is this—our faith.
5 Who is the one who conquers the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus the Christ—not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
7 For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
8 And there are three who bear witness on earth: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we accept human testimony, God's testimony is greater; for this is the testimony of God which he has borne concerning his Son.
10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.
11 And the testimony is this: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has the life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may go on believing in the name of the Son of God.
14 And this is the boldness we have before him: if we ask anything in keeping with his will, he listens to us.
15 And if we know that he listens to us in whatever we ask, we know that the requests we have made of him are ours.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he shall ask, and he will give him life—to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin leading to death; I am not saying he should make request about that.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
18 We know that no one begotten of God goes on sinning; but the one begotten of God guards himself, and the evil one does not lay hold of him.
19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight, so that we may know the one who is true; and we are in the true one, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols. Amen.