¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God, and everyone who loves him who did the begetting also loves him who was begotten by him. ²This is how we know that we love the children of God: it is when we love God and we keep his commandments. ³For this is the love of God: that we should keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴For everything that has been begotten by God overcomes the world. And this is the victory which has overcome the world: our faith. ⁵Who is it 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 water alone, but with water and blood. And the spirit is what gives witness, because the spirit is truth. ⁷For there are three that testify: ⁸the spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three unite into one. ⁹If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God which he has given concerning his son. ¹⁰He who believes in the son of God has the testimony in him. He who does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony which God gave concerning his son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: that God has given us age-abiding life, and this life is in his son. ¹²He who has the son has life. He who does not have the son of God does not have life. ¹³I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God in order that you may know that you have age-abiding life, and that you may believe in the name of the son of God. ¹⁴And this is the confidence which we have with him, that if we ask for anything in accordance with his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us with respect to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests which we have asked for from him. ¹⁶If anyone sees his brother committing a sin which is not mortal, he can ask, and he will give him life; this is for those who commit a sin which is not mortal. There is a mortal sin – I do not say that you should ask concerning that. ¹⁷Every unrighteous deed is sin. And there is sin which is not mortal. ¹⁸We know that no-one who has been begotten by God sins, but he who has been begotten by God is on his guard and the evil one does not touch him. ¹⁹We know we stem from God, and the whole world lies in the sway of the evil one. ²⁰And we know that the son of God has come and has given us a mind so as to know the true one. And we are in the true one, in his son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and age-abiding life. ²¹Little children, keep yourselves from the idols. Amen.