5Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived.G3956G4100G3754G2424G2076G5547G1080G1537G2316G2532G3956G25G1080G25G2532G1080G1537G8462The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands?G1722G5129G1097G3754G25G5043G2316G3752G25G2316G2532G5083G846G17853The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.G1063G3778G2076G26G2316G2443G5083G846G1785G2532G846G1785G1526G3756G926
The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees
4Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith.G3754G3956G1080G1537G2316G3528G2889G2532G3778G2076G3529G3528G2889G2257G41025The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.G5101G2076G3528G2889G1508G4100G3754G2424G2076G5207G23166Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God's presence at Jesus' baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us.G3778G2076G2064G1223G5204G2532G129G2424G5547G3756G1722G5204G3440G235G1722G5204G2532G129G2532G2076G4151G3140G3754G4151G2076G2257A triple testimony:G3754G1526G5140G3140G1722G3772G3962G3056G2532G40G4151G2532G3778G5140G1526G15208the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.G2532G1526G5140G3140G1722G1093G4151G2532G5204G2532G129G2532G5140G1526G1519G15209If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son.G1487G2983G3141G444G3141G2316G2076G3187G3754G3778G2076G3141G2316G3739G3140G4012G846G520710Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God's testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God's own testimony regarding his Son.G4100G1519G5207G2316G2192G3141G1722G1438G4100G3361G2316G4160G846G5583G3754G4100G3756G1519G3141G3739G2316G3140G4012G846G520711This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.G2532G3778G2076G3141G3754G2316G1325G2254G166G2222G2532G3778G2222G2076G1722G846G520712So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.G2192G5207G2192G2222G2192G3361G5207G2316G2192G3756G2222
The Reality, Not the Illusion
13My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion.G5023G1125G5213G4100G1519G3686G5207G2316G2443G1492G3754G2192G166G2222G2532G2443G4100G1519G3686G5207G231614And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening.G2532G3778G2076G3954G3739G2192G4314G846G3754G1437G154G5100G2596G846G2307G191G225715And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours.G2532G1437G1492G3754G191G2257G3739G302G154G1492G3754G2192G155G3739G154G3844G84616For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I'm not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is "fatal," leading to eternal death), we ask for God's help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I'm not urging you to pray about that.G1437G5100G1492G846G80G264G266G3361G4314G2288G154G2532G1325G846G2222G264G3361G4314G2288G2076G266G4314G2288G3756G3004G2443G2065G4012G156517Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.G3956G93G2076G266G2532G2076G266G3756G4314G228818We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can't lay a hand on them.G1492G3754G3956G1080G1537G2316G264G3756G235G1080G1537G2316G5083G1438G2532G4190G680G846G375619We know that we are held firm by God; it's only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One.G1492G3754G2070G1537G2316G2532G3650G2889G2749G1722G419020And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God's Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life.G1161G1492G3754G5207G2316G2240G2532G1325G2254G1271G2443G1097G228G2532G2070G1722G228G1722G846G5207G2424G5547G3778G2076G228G2316G2532G166G222221Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.G5040G5442G1438G575G1497G281
Prayer Tents is a Christian mission organization that serves Christians around the world and their local bodies to make disciples ("evangelize") more effectively in their communities. Prayer Tents provides resources to enable Christians to form discipleship-focused small groups and make their gatherings known so that other "interested" people may participate and experience Christ in their midst. Our Vision is to make disciples in all nations through the local churches so that anyone seeking God can come to know Him through relationships with other Christians near them.
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