We have a close relationship with God because we are united to his Son. Because of that relationship, we have eternal life.

1 John 5:13-21

13 I have written this letter to you who believe that Jesus is [MTY] ◄God’s Son/the one who is also God► in order that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 Because we have a close relationship with him, we are very confident that he hears us when we ask him to do anything that is in accordance with ◄his will/what he desires►. 15 And since we know that he hears whenever we ask him for something, we also know that it is as though he has already done what we requested him to do.

16 Those who see one of their fellow believers sinning in a way that does not result in being eternally separated from God should ask God to help that fellow believer; and as a result God will help that fellow believer and enable him or her to live eternally. But some people sin in a manner that causes them to be separated from God eternally. I am not saying that you should ask God to help people who sin like that. 17 Everyone who does what is wrong is sinning, but there are some sins that do not cause a person to be separated from God. 18 We know that if a person has new life from God [MET], that person does not continue sinning. Instead, the ◄Son of/one who is also► God protects him so that Satan, the evil one, does not harm him spiritually. 19 We know that we belong to God, and we know that the evil one controls all the evil people in [MTY] the world. 20 We also know that ◄God’s Son/the one who is also God► has come to us, and we know that he has enabled us to know God, the one who is really/truly God. So now we have a close relationship with God because we belong to Jesus Christ, the one who is the ◄Son of/man who is also► God. Jesus Christ is truly God, and he is the one who enables us to have eternal life.

21 I say to you who are very dear to me, guard/keep yourselves from worshipping gods that have no real power!