The Bible — World English Bible
1 John 5
In brief
1 John 5 closes the letter by returning to its main themes. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and this faith overcomes the world. John recalls God's testimony about his Son and affirms that eternal life is in the Son. He writes so that believers may know they have this life, encourages them to pray according to God's will, and ends with a warning: keep yourselves from idols.
The chapter in 5 parts
1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.
2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.
3For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.
4For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.
5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
7For there are three who testify:
8the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one.
9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God’s testimony which he has testified concerning his Son.
10He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
11The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life.
13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
15And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.
17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
18We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.
19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Key verses
For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.
John ties the love of God to obedience, and adds that his commandments are not burdensome. The obedience described is the response of a loving child, not the burden of a slave.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.
Victory over the world is not credited to the believer's effort but to faith in Jesus, the Son of God. The world here means whatever opposes God and tries to turn us away from him.
The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
God's testimony is that eternal life has been given, and that it is in his Son. John writes plainly so that believers may have assurance of this life, not to keep them in doubt.
This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
Assurance in prayer rests on one condition: asking according to God's will. Prayer is not a way of getting what we want, but of aligning ourselves with what God wants.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
The letter ends with a short warning: keep away from idols, that is, from anything that would take the place of the true God in the heart.
What the sermons say
Frequently asked questions about 1 John 5
What does “the victory that has overcome the world: your faith” mean?
John explains in 1 John 5:4-5 that whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and that this victory comes through faith that Jesus is the Son of God. The text does not promise a life without struggle, but it says that trust in Christ settles the outcome of the struggle, because he has already won.
Can we know for sure that we have eternal life?
1 John 5:13 answers yes: John writes precisely so that those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that they have eternal life. This assurance rests not on a feeling or on our own efforts, but on God's testimony: life is given, and it is in his Son.
What does “sin leading to death” mean in 1 John 5:16?
The text does not say which sin it means, and Christian traditions interpret it differently: a persistent refusal to believe in Christ, apostasy, or a serious wrong without repentance. What is clear is the invitation to pray for a brother who sins, and the reminder that all unrighteousness is sin.
Articles quoting 1 John 5
World English Bible translation — public domain.