1 John 5:1-5

— 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John is now moving towards the conclusion of his epistle, and he draws together these three tests that are set before every Christian—faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, love for his people and obedience to his commandments.

The rebirth comes first

John has made this clear all through his epistle (see, for example, 3:9; 4:7). Now he raises the issue again:

— Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

The use in the Greek of the perfect tense needs to be brought out more clearly: ‘Whoever believes [present tense] that Jesus is the Christ has been born [perfect tense] of God.’

The perfect tense is used when something which occurred in the past has an abiding influence into the future.

In this case, the rebirth brought about by the Holy Spirit leads to faith in Jesus as the Christ.

The Spirit comes to sinners who are

spiritually dead (; ),

wilfully ignorant (),

bound in sin () and

alienated from God (), and

He makes them

spiritually alive,

enlightened,

free and reconciled in Christ.

In regeneration the principle of new life is implanted in the sinner, and

the governing disposition of the soul

is now that of holiness before a holy God.

This is not something we can achieve for ourselves, or even decide to let God achieve for us.

Spiritual life must come from God first before we can trust in Christ and pass these three tests about which John has been writing.

If our faith is true, it must come from the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.

The biblical message is that true, Spirit-given faith has life, and so it works (; ).

The three proofs are interconnected

In verse 1 John joins the belief test to the love test:

— Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

Flip over to .

Here from v3-23 Paul offers this prayer of thanksgiving. And notice that he and Timothy give thanks to who in v3? {God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ}

What do they thank God for in v4? {faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints}.

“faith” is the means by which God’s grace in Christ is appropriated to the believer and Christ is the object of our faith.

Then genuine Christian faith is ever active in works of love (), showing our faith in loving other believers.

You see how they are woven together? Same in our text.

The Christians at Colosse passed these two of John’s tests—they possessed faith and love.

But John is quick to mention the test of obedience:

— 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

That sounds a little strange to us—a test for knowing whether you love Christians is ‘Do you love God and obey his commandments?’

That sounds a little strange to us—a test for knowing whether you love Christians is ‘Do you love God and obey his commandments?’ John is making it clear just how interconnected the three tests are.

John is making it clear just how interconnected the three tests are.

A Christian is one who has faith in Jesus as the Christ (5:1) and the Son of God (5:5).

Such a person loves those who share the same faith and seek to keep God’s commandments. Jesus said, ‘If you love me, keep my commandments’ ().

‘For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments’ (5:3).

We might say that faith, love and obedience are like three threads in the one fabric.

They can be distinguished but they cannot be separated in the life of the Christian.

It is wrong to say, ‘What matters is that we all love one another. Doctrine is irrelevant.’ That is separating what John unites.

Similarly, when someone says, ‘We need to get back to some good old-fashioned morality and teach our youngsters to obey God’s laws,’ that is only one-third of the whole story. Someone else might say, ‘What we need in our church is sound doctrine. No more liberalism and no more Arminianism!’ True enough, but sound doctrine had better go hand-in-hand with love and obedience or the result will be most unlovely. If we have been born of the Holy Spirit, we will have a right belief in Jesus Christ for our salvation, a love for all our fellow Christians and a hunger to obey God’s commandments. These three things need to be found in us for us to have any assurance that we truly belong to Christ.

Similarly, when someone says, ‘We need to get back to some good old-fashioned morality and teach our youngsters to obey God’s laws,’ that is only one-third of the whole story.

Someone else might say, ‘What we need in our church is sound doctrine. No more liberalism and no more prosperity gospel!’

True enough, but sound doctrine had better go hand-in-hand with love and obedience or the result will be most unlovely.

True enough, but sound doctrine had better go hand-in-hand with love and obedience or the result will be most unlovely.

If we have been born of the Holy Spirit, we will have a

right belief in Jesus Christ for our salvation, a

love for all our fellow Christians and a

hunger to obey God’s commandments.

These three things need to be found in us for us to have any assurance that we truly belong to Christ.

God’s easy yoke

The world’s perception of God’s commandments is a major problem today, but it has always been so:

— For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

To the unregenerate, there is freedom in doing what one likes, and the commandments of God are seen as a burden and an irritation.

Indeed, they are positively a pain in the neck. ‘Not so,’ says our Lord.

‘Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’ ()

—a contrast to the Pharisaic approach in — 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

The world’s perception is tragically unenthusiastic. God’s way is not a burden; it is sin’s way that proves to be burdensome.

God tells children, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ but the world says, ‘Do your own thing.’

We need to ask ourselves, ‘Have the burdens in our lives come from obeying God or from disobeying him?’

We see struggling mothers everywhere because their children are unruly.

Children do not readily obey, so everything takes longer to complete, and the stress level is increased in the meantime.

You will find that this is true of all the commandments.

Where is the burden in the home when husband and wife love each other with consideration and fidelity?

Where is the burden at work where there is honesty, diligence and trust?

Where is the burden at the grocery store where there is a mutual concern to serve one another?

It is our sins that are burdensome.

Selfishness, dishonesty, covetousness, drunkenness, idolatry, pride and lust will weigh us down if we give in to them;

serving Christ will set us free.

The unbeliever maintains that Christianity is a burden—it consists of commands: ‘Don’t do this and don’t do that’. It is stifling and restrictive.

In thinking this way, the unbeliever fails to see that God’s laws are designed for our benefit.

Sin is an offence against the majesty of God, but it is also a burden to sinners.

Obeying God will land us in trouble with the world.

Jeremiah found that he did not sit in the assembly of the mockers

but had to sit alone because of his God-given indignation at Judah’s sin ().

The apostle Peter warns Christians that unbelievers will think it strange that we do not run with them in ‘lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries’, and they will speak evil of us ().

But Jeremiah still declared to God:

Your words were found, and I ate them, And your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts ().

And your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

For I am called by your name,

O Lord God of hosts

().

Peter too writes of being born again through the word of God () and rejoicing with ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory’ ().

God’s commandments may lead to some grief for God’s people in this fallen world,

but ultimately there is delight.

Sin may bring some passing pleasure for a time,

but ultimately there will be misery and everlasting destruction.

The victory of faith

The rebirth ushers in victory for the Christian: — For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

What can touch the Christian?

Sin? Yes, but Christ has paid the penalty for sin.

Sickness? Yes, but Christ has power to heal if he so chooses.

Death? Yes, but Christ has overcome death.

Satan? Yes, but he is a defeated foe for ‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (4:4).

Hell? No, for Christ has endured the equivalent of hell on behalf of his people.

— 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christ has overcome all these things, and he is the victor.

His victory will be shared with all who have faith in him.

Faith gives us victory because it joins us to Christ,

who has won the victory over the world, the flesh and the devil.

— 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

There is victory, even in death:

The proof of our rebirth is not spectacular gifts nor wondrous doings. It is right belief, love and obedience—all together.

This will not be a burden at all, but joy and light, for the promise is for victory through faith in Christ.