1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, 4 because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. 5 Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, because the Spirit is the truth. 7◆ For there are three that testify: 8◆ the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement. 9 Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son. 11 And this is that testimony: God has given 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 and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, yet there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the one who was born of God protects himself, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under 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 Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
1 John · Majority Standard Bible
1 John 5 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (21)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 John 1:12–13; 1 John 2:29; John 8:42; 1 John 4:7; 1 Peter 1:22–23
- 2 John 13:34–35; 1 John 2:5; 1 John 3:22–24; John 15:17; 1 John 4:21
- 3 John 14:15; John 15:10; Deuteronomy 7:9; John 14:21–24; 2 John 6
- 4 1 Corinthians 15:57; 1 John 4:4; John 16:33; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:5
- 5 1 John 4:15; 1 John 5:1
- 6 John 15:26; Hebrews 9:14; John 16:13; Mark 14:24; John 14:17
- 7 Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Acts 5:32; Matthew 3:16–17; John 1:1
- 8 1 John 5:6–7; John 15:26; 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:2–4; Romans 8:16
- 9 Matthew 3:16–17; Matthew 17:5; Acts 17:31; John 8:17–19; Acts 5:32
- 10 Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:6; John 3:33; John 5:38; Hebrews 3:12
- 11 Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25; John 3:36; 1 John 5:20; 1 John 4:9
- 12 John 3:36; John 5:24; John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 1:30; John 3:15
- 13 John 20:31; John 1:12; 1 John 3:23; 2 Peter 1:10–11; John 3:18
- 14 John 14:13; Jeremiah 29:12–13; Jeremiah 33:3; 1 John 3:21–22; John 15:7
- 15 Luke 11:9–10; Mark 11:24; Proverbs 15:29; 1 John 5:18–20
- 16 Hebrews 6:4–6; 1 Samuel 2:25; Jeremiah 11:14; Hebrews 10:26–31; Mark 3:28–30
- 17 1 John 3:4; James 1:15; Ezekiel 18:26–32; 1 John 5:16; James 4:7–10
- 18 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:4; Jude 21; Jude 24; 1 John 5:1
- 19 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 4:4–6; Galatians 1:4; Revelation 12:9
- 20 John 17:3; Luke 24:45; John 14:9; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 44:6
- 21 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 Corinthians 10:7; Exodus 20:3–4; 2 Corinthians 6:16–17; 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- 1 John 5:7–8: the “three heavenly witnesses”
Older English and Spanish Bibles read: “there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” These words, called the Johannine Comma, are absent from virtually every Greek manuscript before the late Middle Ages and from the Greek Fathers. The Patriarchal Text prints them in small type, kept at the wish of the Holy Synod. The Trinity does not depend on them.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
I Suppose ye remember, those of you who were present yesterday, to what place in the course of this epistle our exposition has reached: namely, "He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
… but is of antichrist." These words agree with what was said in the Gospel, that "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." Wherefore he again exclaims in his Epistle, "Every one that believeth that Jesus is the Christ, has been born of God;" knowing Jesus Christ to be one and the same, to whom the gates of heaven …
There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." For he manifestly shows that there are certain brethren for whom we are not commanded to pray, although the Lord bids us pray even for our persecutors.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
And he that loveth Him that begat, loveth Him also that is begotten of Him; but he that despiseth Him that is begotten casts back the insult upon Him who begat.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
What about John then, when in his Catholic Epistle he says that there are Three that bear witness, the Spirit and the Water and the Blood?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)