1Everyone who is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who is loving him who begot also loves him who has been begotten from him. [5:2] By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and perform his commandments. [5:3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome, [5:4] because everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory — the one having overcome the world: our faith. [5:5] Now who is the one overcoming the world except the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God? [5:6] This is the one having come through water and blood — Jesus Christ; not by the water only, but by the water and by the blood. And the Spirit is the one testifying, because the Spirit is the truth. [5:7] For there are three bearing testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit — and these three are one; [5:8] and the Spirit and the water and the blood — and these three are into the one.
1JN 5:1-8
Overcoming the World
In the world it was spoken into
In the first-century Greco-Roman world, the term '' (kosmos) carried a dual meaning: it referred to the physical creation but also to the ordered, yet fallen, system of human society, values, and power structures. For Jewish audiences, this 'world' often symbolized opposition to God’s purposes, influenced by idolatry, injustice, and moral corruption. The phrase 'born of God' would resonate with Jewish readers familiar with covenantal language, where being 'children of God' signified belonging to God’s people. For Gentile converts, it echoed Roman household adoption practices, where a child’s status was irrevocably changed. The emphasis on 'believing' as an ongoing action countered Greco-Roman philosophical notions of static knowledge, pointing instead to a lived, active trust. The 'victory' language evoked Roman military triumphs and athletic competitions, where victory was public, decisive, and celebrated. The call to love God and keep His commandments would challenge both Jewish and Gentile listeners, as it framed obedience not as burdensome legalism but as the natural expression of divine kinship and victory over the world’s systems.
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How other translations render this
1JN 5:1
- KJV
- Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
- BSB
- 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.
- Koinōnos
- Everyone who is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who is loving him who begot also loves him who has been begotten from him.
1JN 5:2
- KJV
- By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
- BSB
- By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.
- Koinōnos
- By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and perform his commandments.
1JN 5:3
- KJV
- For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
- BSB
- For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,
- Koinōnos
- For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome,
1JN 5:4
- KJV
- For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
- BSB
- because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
- Koinōnos
- because everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory — the one having overcome the world: our faith.
1JN 5:5
- KJV
- Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
- BSB
- Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
- Koinōnos
- Now who is the one overcoming the world except the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God?
1JN 5:6
- KJV
- This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
- BSB
- 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.
- Koinōnos
- This is the one having come through water and blood — Jesus Christ; not by the water only, but by the water and by the blood. And the Spirit is the one testifying, because the Spirit is the truth.
1JN 5:7
- KJV
- For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
- BSB
- For there are three that testify:
- Koinōnos
- For there are three bearing testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit — and these three are one;
1JN 5:8
- KJV
- And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
- BSB
- the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.
- Koinōnos
- and the Spirit and the water and the blood — and these three are into the one.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
1JN 5:1
- is believing:The word translated 'is believing' implies an ongoing, active trust and reliance, not just a one-time intellectual assent to facts.
- has been born,:The term translated 'has been born' emphasizes a new spiritual origin or parentage, indicating a fundamental change in one's nature and relationship.
1JN 5:4
- world;:The word translated 'world' here refers to the organized system of human society in rebellion against God, not the physical planet or humanity in general.
- victory:The word translated 'victory' carries the sense of triumph in a contest or struggle, often used for athletic or military success, implying a decisive overcoming.