Hebrew Names Version HNV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Whoever believes that Yeshua is the Messiah is born of God. Whoever loves the father also loves the child who is born of him.
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Every 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.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his mitzvot.
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The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands?
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his mitzvot. His mitzvot are not grievous.
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The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.
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Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Yeshua is the Son of God?
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The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.
6 This is he who came by water and blood, Yeshua the Messiah; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood.
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Jesus - 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.[(s15.7)] A triple testimony:
7 It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
8 For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one.
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the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God's testimony which he has testified concerning his Son.
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If 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.
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in him. He who doesn't believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
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Whoever 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.
11 The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
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This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.
12 He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn't have God's Son doesn't have the life.
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So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
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My 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.
14 This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
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And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening.
15 And if we know that he listens to us whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
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And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don't say that concerning this he should make a request.
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For 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.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
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Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.
18 We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him.
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We 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.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
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We 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.
20 We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Yeshua the Messiah. This is the true God, and eternal life.
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And 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.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
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Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.