First John: 1 John 5:1-The Person Who Believes Jesus is the Christ Has Been Fathered by God and the Person Who Loves the Father, Loves His Child Lesson # 187

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (ESV)

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” is referring to a hypothetical person in the Christian community since the word pertains to a member of the human race who has been fathered by God as a result of believing that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ” speaks of a sinner totally and completely trusting in Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior with the result that the Father declares them justified so as to receive the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.

“Has been born of God” refers to the sinner who has been declared justified by the Father and regenerated by the Spirit through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

“And everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him” presents the result of the previous assertion and is presenting the correspondence between a child of God who at any time does divinely love the Father and divinely loving a fellow-child of God who has also been fathered by God.

Therefore, this indicates that the child of God who divinely loves the Father will correspondingly divinely love their fellow child of God who like them has been fathered by God.

1 John 5:1 Anyone who at any time does believe that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God. Consequently, anyone who at any time does divinely love the Father, correspondingly does divinely love the one who has been fathered by Him. (My translation)

The apostle John solemnly presents another eternal spiritual truth which emphasizes the importance of obeying the command to love one another in order to experience fellowship with God.

1 John 5:1 contains two declarations.

The second presents the result of the first.

The first asserts that anyone who at any time does believe that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God.

John is speaking of justifying faith here in this first assertion.

In other words, it speaks of a sinner exercising faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior with the result that the Father declares them justified and thus consequently regenerates them by the Spirit.

This first assertion in 1 John 5:1 corresponds to the first command mentioned in 1 John 3:23.

The second assertion in 1 John 5:1 corresponds to the second command in 1 John 3:23.

The first command in 1 John 3:23 refers to the moment when a person makes the non-meritorious decision to place their complete and total trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Consequently, they were declared justified by the Father, regenerated by the Spirit and identified with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

This justifying faith delivers the sinner from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, personal sins, the sin nature, the devil and his cosmic system as well as spiritual and physical death.

Therefore, this first command refers to making the non-meritorious decision to totally and completely trust in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross in order to be declared justified by the Father and to become a child of God.

As we noted, John refers to a person having been fathered by God in 1 John 5:1 as a result of believing that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.

This is the fourth time in First John that he has mentioned this concept or doctrine of being fathered by God (cf. 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7).

When John mentions the believer being “fathered by” God in 1 John 2:29, 3:9 and 1 John 4:7, he is referring to the doctrine of regeneration, which is one of seven ministries the Holy Spirit performs on behalf of every believer the moment they are declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

John mentions this new spiritual birth in 1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 4 and 18.

He also mentions this doctrine in his gospel (cf. John 1:12-13; 3:3-8).

“Regeneration” refers to the spiritual birth of the sinner who is declared justified by the Father through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Regeneration takes place at the moment of conversion when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit appropriates for the sinner justified by faith in Jesus Christ, the benefits of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

There are several passages that support the doctrine of regeneration (cf. John 1:12-13; 3:1-8; Titus 3:4-5).

After asserting that the one who at any time does believe that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, John in 1 John 5:1 presents the result of this declaration by asserting that any person who at any time does divinely love the Father does correspondingly divinely love the person who has been fathered by Him.

Therefore, John is teaching with these two assertions that the person who does divinely love the Father by divinely loving their fellow child of God is the direct result of having been fathered by God which is the result of believing that Jesus is the Christ.

Now, the reference to divinely loving the Father in 1 John 5:1 is the third time this idea or concept has been mentioned by John in First John (cf. 1 John 4:10, 19-20).

1 John 5:1 is the third time that the command to love one another is mentioned implicitly in First John.

1 John 2:7 Beloved, I am by no means providing in writing information for each one of you regarding an unfamiliar command but rather a familiar command, which each of you have been under obligation to obey from the beginning. This familiar command is identical with the teaching each of you have heard. (Author’s translation)

1 John 4:21 Therefore, each one of us are under obligation to this command from Him, namely that the one who at any time does desire to divinely love God (the Father) must divinely love his fellow-believer. (Author’s translation)

This command to love one another has thus far been mentioned six times in First John.

1 John 3:11 Therefore, this is the message which each one of you heard from the beginning, namely that, each one of us must make it our habit of loving one another. (Author’s translation)

1 John 3:23 Specifically, this is His command: First, that each and every one of us believed in the name, that is His Son, who is Jesus who is the Christ. Secondly that each one of us continue making it our habit of divinely loving one another just as He gave to each one of us this command. (Author’s translation)

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let each one of us continue to divinely love one another because this love is a characteristic originating from God (the Father). Consequently, the one who at any time does divinely love has been fathered by God (the Father) and as a result they know God (the Father) experientially. (Author’s translation)

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that God (the Father) loved each and every one of us in this manner and we all agree that He did, then each and every one of us are obligated to continue making it our habit of divinely loving one another. (Author’s translation)

1 John 4:12 Absolutely no one at any time has observed God (the Father). If any of us at any time does divinely love each other, this God (the Father) is living in fellowship with us. Consequently, His love is accomplishing its purpose in us. (Author’s translation)

1 John 4:21 Therefore, each one of us are under obligation to this command from Him, namely that the one who at any time does desire to divinely love God (the Father) must divinely love his fellow-believer. (Author’s translation)

This is not the first time John has associated divinely loving one’s fellow believer as constituting divinely loving God.

He alludes to it in 1 John 4:20 and then explicitly mentions this concept in 1 John 4:21.

1 John 4:20 If anyone enters into making the claim “I love God (the Father)” and yet does at any time hate his fellow-believer, then he is a liar. For the one who at any time does not divinely love his fellow-believer whom he has seen causes himself to be totally unable to love God (the Father) whom he has never seen. 21 Therefore, each one of us are under obligation to this command from Him, namely that the one who at any time does desire to divinely love God (the Father) must divinely love his fellow-believer. (Author’s translation)

Now, notice in 1 John 5:1 the connection that John makes between justifying faith and obeying the command to love one another.

He is teaching that a person manifests the fact that they have been declared justified by the Father and consequently regenerated by the Spirit through faith in His Son Jesus Christ by obeying the command to love one another.

The implication is that only regenerate sinners declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ can practice His love with others.

The person who has been fathered by God will manifest this by their obedience to His command to love one another.