| Chapter 5 |
1 | Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God; and every one who loves the Father loves also Him who is the Father's Child.
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2 | The fact that we love God Himself, and obey His commands, is a proof that we love God's children.
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3 | Love for God means obedience to His commands; and His commands are not irksome.
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4 | For every child of God overcomes the world; and the victorious principle which has overcome the world is our faith.
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5 | Who but the man that believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world?
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6 | Jesus Christ is He who came with water and blood; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit who gives testimony-- because the Spirit is the Truth.
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7 | For there are three that give testimony-- the Spirit, the water, and the blood;
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8 | and there is complete agreement between these three.
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9 | If we accept the testimony of men, God's testimony is greater: for God's testimony consists of the things which He has testified about His Son.
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10 | He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in his own heart: he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, in that he has refused to accept the testimony which God has given about His Son.
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11 | And that testimony is to the effect that God has given us the Life of the Ages, and that this Life is in His Son.
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12 | He who has the Son has the Life: he who has not the Son of God has not the Life.
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13 | I write all this to you in order that you who believe in the Son of God may know for certain that you already have the Life of the Ages.
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14 | And we have an assured confidence that whenever we ask anything in accordance with His will, He listens to us.
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15 | And since we know that He listens to us, then whatever we ask, we know that we have the things which we have asked from Him.
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16 | If any one sees a brother man committing a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask and God shall give him life--for those who do not sin unto death. There is such a thing as sin unto death; for that I do not bid him make request.
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17 | Any kind of wrongdoing is sin; but there is sin which is not unto death.
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18 | We know that no one who is a child of God lives in sin, but He who is God's Child keeps him, and the Evil one cannot touch him.
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19 | We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the Evil one.
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20 | And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we know the true One, and are in union with the true One--that is, we are in union with His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the Life of the Ages.
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21 | Dear children, guard yourselves from idols.
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