1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and carry out his commandments. 3 For this is love for God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome, 4 because whatever has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ—not with the water alone but with the water and with the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three who testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are in agreement. 9 If we receive human testimony, God's testimony is greater, for this is God's testimony, that he has testified about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have 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. 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 have asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he will ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I do not say that he should ask about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God 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. This is the true God and eternal life.

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.