Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the one who gave birth to them also loves the one who has been born of him.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey his commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our trust.
And who is the one who is overcoming the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Testimony Concerning the Son of God
This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And the spirit is what testifies to this, because the spirit is the truth.
Indeed, there are three testifying:
the spirit, and the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.
If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.
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 in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.
And this is the testimony: God has given us life in the age to come, and this life is in his Son.
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
That You May Know
I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you can know that you have life in the age to come.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If anyone sees his brother or sister committing sin that is not resulting in death, he should ask God, and he will give him life—to those who commit sins not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death; I do not say that he should ask concerning that.
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not resulting in death.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not continue sinning, but the One who was born of God keeps him safe, and the Wicked One does not touch him.
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the Wicked One.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we can know the True One; and we are in union with the True One by being in union with his Son Jesus Christ. This One is the true God and life in the age to come.