1 John 5:1-12

1 John 5:1-12

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,

4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

VS 1-3…

are a continuation of the previous chapter. If you read chapter 4:16- 5:5 you will see that all these verses deal with love and being born of God.

It is important to note a misunderstanding in vs one in regards to believing and being born of God.

The English wording of “believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” would lead you that it is your belief that makes you born of God.

But the Greek tense in these words would bring out the idea that we believe because we have been born of God, not the other way around.

We have faith that Jesus is the Christ, as a result we are born of God and God solidifies that faith into an ongoing belief.

He then continues his discussion on love by saying loving God means loving his children and we know we love the children because we love God and are obedient to his commandments.

Then he makes the declaration that “his commandments are not burdensome.”

What do you think it means that his commandments are not burdensome?

Obedience through the highest form of love is not burdensome!

VS. 4-5…

Continuing with the children of God, born of God, idea John declares that those who are born of God, conquers.

They conquer the World

They conquer by faith

They conquer because they believe that Jesus is the Son of God!

The author uses two different tenses of the verb “to overcome” (nikaō) in 5:4b–5. He uses the aorist participle (nikēsasa) in 5:4b, and then the present participle (nikōn) in 5:5. This does not reflect any time difference, as if the first represents a victory in the past, and the second a victory in the present. Rather, it is stylistic, indicating the author’s choice to portray the victory of faith as a complete action in the first case and as an ongoing process in the second (both without necessary time reference).

Colin G. Kruse, The Letters of John, ed. D. A. Carson, Second Edition., Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; London: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2020), 188.

The idea is that we became overcomers in a past event that was completed and are continuing to be overcomers in the present.

VS. 6-19…

What does it mean he came by water and blood?

Three main interpretations

They represent two sacraments of the Gospel…

Water referring to Baptism

Blood referring to the Lord’s supper

problem with this is the Lords supper was not identified by blood only

also, the sacraments are something that happens continual where as “he came” was a specific event that happened in the past.

Another interpretation is the spear that was thrust into Jesus’ side in which blood and water flowed.

John 19:34–35 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)

The problem with this interpretation is that the blood and water came from Jesus not the other way around.

the blood and water in John 19:34–35 testifies to his death whereas in 1 John 5 it testifies to his divine human person.

The best understanding is that the water represents his baptism, where he was identified as the Son of God and commissioned and empowered for his work. the blood would represent his death, his finished work on the cross.

John was dealing with teachers who were teaching something false about Jesus and his divinity and wanted to put the record strait.

What does it mean by the spirit testifies? The spirit not only bears witness but also testifies to what was witnessed.

The Spirit was witness to the baptism and was witness to the death of Jesus. So the water and blood and spirit all testifies to the divine-human nature of Jesus.

God’s testimony is based on three witnesses, the water, the blood, and the spirit. Three witnesses is better than two and you needed at least two witnesses for a valid claim in the court of law.

If human testimony is valid with two witnesses, how much more God’s testimony, which is grater, when he has given three witnesses.

VS. 10-12…

So what are the results of this testimony?

Belief from the heart in the Son leads to eternal life, which is the son.