1John 5 - Prayer Tents

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.G3956G4100G3754G2424G2076G5547G1080G1537G2316G2532G3956G25G1080G25G2532G1080G1537G846 2The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands?G1722G5129G1097G3754G25G5043G2316G3752G25G2316G2532G5083G846G1785 3The 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.G3754G3956G1080G1537G2316G3528G2889G2532G3778G2076G3529G3528G2889G2257G4102 5The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.G5101G2076G3528G2889G1508G4100G3754G2424G2076G5207G2316 6Jesus—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.G3778G2076G2064G1223G5204G2532G129G2424G5547G3756G1722G5204G3440G235G1722G5204G2532G129G2532G2076G4151G3140G3754G4151G2076G225 7A triple testimony:G3754G1526G5140G3140G1722G3772G3962G3056G2532G40G4151G2532G3778G5140G1526G1520 8the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.G2532G1526G5140G3140G1722G1093G4151G2532G5204G2532G129G2532G5140G1526G1519G1520 9If 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.G1487G2983G3141G444G3141G2316G2076G3187G3754G3778G2076G3141G2316G3739G3140G4012G846G5207 10Whoever 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.G4100G1519G5207G2316G2192G3141G1722G1438G4100G3361G2316G4160G846G5583G3754G4100G3756G1519G3141G3739G2316G3140G4012G846G5207 11This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.G2532G3778G2076G3141G3754G2316G1325G2254G166G2222G2532G3778G2222G2076G1722G846G5207 12So, 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.G5023G1125G5213G4100G1519G3686G5207G2316G2443G1492G3754G2192G166G2222G2532G2443G4100G1519G3686G5207G2316 14And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening.G2532G3778G2076G3954G3739G2192G4314G846G3754G1437G154G5100G2596G846G2307G191G2257 15And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours.G2532G1437G1492G3754G191G2257G3739G302G154G1492G3754G2192G155G3739G154G3844G846 16For 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.G1437G5100G1492G846G80G264G266G3361G4314G2288G154G2532G1325G846G2222G264G3361G4314G2288G2076G266G4314G2288G3756G3004G2443G2065G4012G1565 17Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.G3956G93G2076G266G2532G2076G266G3756G4314G2288 18We 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.G1492G3754G3956G1080G1537G2316G264G3756G235G1080G1537G2316G5083G1438G2532G4190G680G846G3756 19We 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.G1492G3754G2070G1537G2316G2532G3650G2889G2749G1722G4190 20And 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.G1161G1492G3754G5207G2316G2240G2532G1325G2254G1271G2443G1097G228G2532G2070G1722G228G1722G846G5207G2424G5547G3778G2076G228G2316G2532G166G2222 21Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.G5040G5442G1438G575G1497G281