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holding on to Christ
1 John 5:13-21 (JDV)
1 John 5:13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have permanent life.
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in his presence: If we are asking for anything that he wants, he hears us.
1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.
1 John 5:16 If anyone sees a fellow believer failing in a way that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him — to those who fail in a way that doesn’t lead to death. There is failure that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that.
1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is failure, and there is failure that doesn’t lead to death.
1 John 5:18 We know that everyone who has been born from God does not fail, but the one who is born from God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one – that is, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and permanent life.
1 John 5:21 Little children, preserve yourselves from idols.
How can we know that the inheritance of permanent life awaits us? Check every statement that applies:
I believe in the name of the Son of God.
When I pray, I know that he hears me.
I know that he has given me what I have asked before.
I know he keeps me from the evil one.
I know who he is and I am in him.
I stay away from idols.
Confidence does not come from holding a doctrine about Christ, but from holding on to Christ.