1 John 5:1-6, 9-13 Biblical Commentary
THE CONTEXT: This is a pastoral letter to churches in conflict--written to address the conflict and to prevent its spread. A number of scholars think of this as a sermon in written form. The problems in the churches were caused by false teachers who had left the church (2:19). These false teachers were haughty and unloving. They denied the Incarnation and the deity of Jesus and claimed not to be sinners. They may have been precursors of the Gnostic heretics who plagued the second century church. These false teachers remained influential. The danger was that they would persuade neophyte believers to accept their heretical teachings.
1 JOHN 5:1. WHOEVER BELIEVES
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (v. 1a). In these words, John directly refutes the false teachers who, because of their dualism (the spiritual is good but the material is bad) cannot accept the deity of Jesus--the man--the human being. They cannot accept that Jesus (the man) is the Christ (the messiah, the spiritual entity). They cannot accept that Jesus (the man) was "born of God."
"Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born (gennao) of him" (v. 1b). There are different words in the Greek for giving birth (by the mother) and begetting (by the father). Tikto is the word for giving birth by the mother. Gennao is the word for begetting by the father.
We could translate this as "Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is begotten or sired by the (Heavenly) Father."
John ended the last chapter by saying:
"This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother" (1 Jn. 4:21).
Now he gives a solid reason why anyone who loves the Father will also love Christian brothers and sisters. They are God's progeny--God's offspring. God loves them as a loving father would love his children--far more than any earthly father loves his children. If we have any love for the Father, we need to honor his love for his children by sharing his love for them.
Again, this directly refutes the attitude of the false teachers, who are haughty and look with disdain on those who do not share their spiritual vision.
1 JOHN 5:2-4a. BY THIS WE KNOW
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. His commandments are not grievous. 4a For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments" (v. 2). See the comments on verse 1b above.
This verse adds a new wrinkle. We can know that we love the children of God (our Christian brothers and sisters) if we (1) love God and (2) keep God's commandments.
What does keeping God's commandments have to do with loving the children of God? Quite a lot!
However, even the first group of commandments (honoring God) includes this provision:
"You shall not do any work (on the Sabbath), you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates" (Exodus 20:10).
While the primary purpose of that provision is honoring God, it has the secondary benefit of protecting several groups of vulnerable people.
Agapao is an action rather than a feeling verb. Jesus wasn't calling us to have warm feelings for our neighbor, although that would be good. He was calling us to act in loving ways toward our neighbor, regardless of our feelings toward him/her.
Therefore, when we keep God's commandments, our conduct will demonstrate that we love the children of God.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments" (v. 3a). When we keep God's commandments, we not only demonstrate that we love God's children (v. 2), but we also demonstrate that we love God.
Jesus said much the same thing: "If you love me, keep my commandments.... One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me.... If a man loves me, he will keep my word" (John 14:15, 21, 23). He also promised, "If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love" (John 15:10).
"His commandments are not grievous" (Greek: barus) (v. 3b). The Greek word barus means burdensome, heavy, or difficult. Jesus reflected this sentiment when he said,
"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, 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" (Matthew 11:28-30).
That was certainly true when compared with the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees, who added their many traditions to the law. The complexity became impossible. Also, the scribes and Pharisees had no compassion for the people whom they had been sent to serve. They were the elite, and they showed little regard for more ordinary people.
Our experience has verified what John and Jesus were saying. The person who goes through life keeping God's commandments will avoid many pitfalls that accompany the lives of spiritually undisciplined people.
Also, faith casts out fear. Many have been the nights when I have finally been able to go to sleep only when I have prayed and turned my problem over to God.
But there is another side to that coin. Paul talked about the difficulty he had with doing the right thing. He said:
"For I don't know what I am doing. For I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice. But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me" (Romans 15;20).
We have all experienced the frustrations of which Paul spoke.
"For whatever is born of God overcomes (Greek: nikao) the world" (kosmos) (v. 4a). The Greek word nikao means to be victorious, to prevail, or to overcome. The sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father--those begotten of the Father--can expect to achieve victory over the kosmos--the world opposed to God.
That won't always be self-evident:
But the victory is in God's hands, and will happen through God's power. The reality of victory might come slowly, but it will come. We might not be there to see it, but it will come. God is at work behind the scenes. We need only to play our role in God's great drama as faithfully as possible--whether we have a leading role or a bit part. In either case, God will multiply the effects of our faithfulness to make us an important part of his story.
Sometimes we will see the victory, however dimly, in the midst of our adversity. When Bull Connor directed the use of fire hoses and attack dogs against civil rights marchers, the faithful sang "We Shall Overcome"--and they did.
1 JOHN 5:4b-6. FAITH IS THE VICTORY
4b This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
"This is the victory (Greek: nike) that has overcome (Greek: nikesasa--from nikao) the world: your faith" (Greek: pistis) (v. 4b). For "victory" and "overcome," see the comments on verse 4a above.
In the New Testament, pistis (faith) has to do with the person's response to the kerygma (the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ). In other words, Christian faith is faith in the Lord Jesus--steering the ship of our lives by Jesus' star.
John says that faith is the key to victory over the world (the kosmos--the world opposed to God). As long as we have faith in the Lord Jesus and steer the ship of our lives by Jesus' star, we can be assured that we will overcome the world. That might happen quickly or slowly, but it will happen.
The Greek word nikesasa (overcome) is aorist, pointing to an overcoming that has already taken place. In the case of these new Christians to whom John is writing, he might intend to reassure them that they have already overcome the predations of the false teachers--or that God has already given them the victory over kosmos temptations.
"Who is he who overcomes (Greek: nikao) the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (v. 5). In verse 4b, "has overcome" was aorist tense, pointing to a completed act. However, in this verse nikao is present tense, indicating an ongoing action--an overcoming of temptation that must take place daily in the lives of believers. The kosmos world, powered by Satan, floods us with temptations.
Some of those temptations will involve sex, money, or power. Others will tempt us to doubt our faith. Still others take the form of opposition to faith from people, such as employers or governmental officials, who exercise power over us.
But whatever the temptation, the person "who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" is the one who can and will overcome. Faith will enable faithful people to avoid the temptations that would threaten to undo them.
When John says, "Jesus is the Son of God," he intends to refute once again the false teachers who deny the Incarnation (God in flesh in the person of Jesus) and Jesus' deity.
"This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood" (v. 6a). What does John mean by "water and blood"? There are several possibilities, but most likely water refers to Jesus' baptism and blood refers to his death.
Once again, John is directly refuting the false teachers, who would not accept that the Christ (the Messiah) could be associated with the physical elements of water and blood.
"It is the Spirit who testifies" (Greek: martureo) (v. 6b). Martureo is one of several similar Greek words from which we get our word martyr. Martureo actually means witness or to bear witness, but those who bear witness to Christ often pay a high price for their faithfulness--sometimes even martyrdom.
But in this case, it is the Holy Spirit who bears witness. While John doesn't specify what it is to which the Spirit testifies, it is almost certainly to Jesus, who came by water and blood to save the kosmos world.
Shortly before his death, Jesus promised his disciples, "When the Counselor (Greek: parakletos--the Holy
Spirit) has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me" (John 15:26).
"because the Spirit is the truth" (Greek: aletheia) (v. 6b). Aletheia (truth) is that which is real, untainted by falsehood. That is true of the Holy Spirit, God's Spirit dwelling among us and within us. God's Spirit is untainted by falsehood, and is therefore a trustworthy guide. The disciples can trust the Spirit to lead them rightly and faithfully.
Jesus is truth personified--truth in human form--"the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Jesus promised, "If you remain in my word, then you...will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32).
1 JOHN 5:9-11. THIS IS GOD'S TESTIMONY
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God's testimony which he has testified concerning his Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn't believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
"If we receive the witness (Greek: martyria) of men, the witness (Greek: martyria) of God is greater; for this is God's testimony (Greek: martyria) which he has testified (Greek: martyreo) concerning his Son" (v. 9). Martyria and martyreo are two of several related words that speak of witness or testimony. We get our word martyr from these words, because Christians bearing witness to their faith have often been persecuted or killed by opponents.
Persecution of Christians as real today as in the first century--and in the United States as well as in Moslem or Communist countries. An example is the U.S. government forcing Catholic institutions to give financial support to contraception and abortion in violation of Catholic religious beliefs. I am not Catholic, but I am aware that once the government starts targeting Christian beliefs, none of us is safe.
Regarding witness or testimony, Torah law says:
"One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins:
at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established" (Deuteronomy 19:15).
A few verses earlier, in a passage not included in this passage, John established three witnesses to Jesus Christ:
"This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three who testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one" (vv. 6-8).
The Spirit in those verses means the Holy Spirit--God's Holy Spirit. What does John mean by "water and blood"? There are several possibilities, but most likely water refers to Jesus' baptism and blood refers to his death.
Once again, John is directly refuting the false teachers, who would not accept that the Christ (the Messiah)could be associated with the physical elements of water and blood. John's point is self-evident. If Torah law requires us to accept the testimony/witness of fallible human beings, shouldn't we also accept the testimony of the infallible God!
"He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony (martyria) in himself" (v. 10a). Those who believe in Jesus Christ have God's witness/testimony embedded in their beings--in their hearts. That witness/testimony becomes the foundation for their belief system--and their ethical behavior--and their hope for the future. It directs every facet of their lives.
"He who doesn't believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony (martyria) that God has given concerning his Son" (v. 10b). To fail to believe God's testimony is equivalent to calling God a liar. Failing to believe God is not simply a mistake--it is a sin akin to blasphemy.
Earlier, John said that claiming not to be a sinner is also making a liar of God (1 Jn. 1:10).
"The testimony (martyria) is this, that God gave to us eternal life (Greek: aionios zoe), and this life is in his Son" (v. 11). The content of God's witness/testimony is that God has given us eternal life--and that we will find this life in God's Son, Jesus Christ (4:14). The Greek word aionios means age or having to do with an age, which reflects the Jewish believe in this age (evil, Galatians 1:4) and the age to come (righteous--the resurrection life). In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), eternal life is couched in "the age to come" terms (Luke 18:30). However, in the Gospel of John, God grants eternal life to the believer in the present (John 3:36; 5:40). However, in John 12:25, eternal life clearly has a future cast. We tend to think of eternal life as life without end, and it does have that sense (John 6:58). However, it also refers to a quality of life lived in the presence of God. Later, in his prayer, Jesus will define eternal life: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ" (John 17:3).
1 JOHN 5:12-13. HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS THE LIFE
12 He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn't have God's Son doesn't have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
"He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn't have God's Son doesn't have the life" (v. 12). John presents us with a clear choice--a choice established not by John but by God. Those who have the Son (Jesus Christ) have "the life" (eternal life). Those who don't have the Son don't have that life.
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God" (v. 13). In the Gospel of John, he says:
"Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD,
AND THAT BELIEVING YOU MAY HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME." (John 20:30-31)
In our pluralistic society, this is not popular theology. We would prefer to believe that God will honor all religious viewpoints equally--and that everyone's opinion is equally valid. That, however, is not the Biblical testimony.
BLB Study Guide for 1 John 5 - Born of God and Believing in the Son of God
A. Being born of God.
1. (1 John 5:1) Being born of God is the source of love.
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
a. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: John has often mentioned being born of God (as in 1 John 2:29, 3:9, and 4:7). Here he tells us how one is born of God: whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ. This means believing that Jesus is their Messiah, not just the Messiah in the generic sense. i. John's great emphasis has been on love, but he never wants anyone to believe they earn salvation by loving others. We are born of God when we put our trust on Jesus and His saving work in our lives. ii. We also understand that John was not talking about a mere intellectual assent to Jesus being Messiah (as even the demons might have, as described in James 2:19). Instead, he means a trust in and reliance on Jesus as Messiah. iii. Additionally, John makes it plain we must believe Jesus is the Christ. There are many, of a new-age sort of thinking, who believe Jesus had the "Christ-spirit" - as they claim also Confucius, Mohammed, Buddha and certain moderns did. But we would never say Jesus "has" the Christ - Jesus is the Christ.
b. Everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him: Being born of God also has these two effects. It is assumed that we will love God (Him who begot us), because we are born again into His family. But it is also assumed that we will love others who are begotten of Him- our brothers and sisters in Christ. i. This is the common ground of Christians- not race, not class, not culture, not language, nor any other thing except for a common birth in Jesus Christ, and the common Lordship of Jesus. ii. To love all others in the family of God means that you do not limit your love to your own denomination or group, to your own social or financial status, to your own race, to your own political perspective, or to your own exact theological persuasion. If any of these things mean more to us than our common salvation, and the common Lordship of Jesus Christ, then something is very wrong. iii. Parents are exasperated, and even disgusted, when they see their children fight and seem to hate one another. How must God feel when He sees His children fight among themselves?
2. (1 John 5:2-3) The demonstration of God's love.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
a. By this we know that we love the children of God: Just as much as our love for the people of God reflects our love for God (as expressed in 1 John 3:10, 17), so our love and obedience to God is a demonstration of love to the body of Christ. i. It is sometimes said that the best thing a father can do for his children is to love his wife and their mother. Even so, the first way for a child of God to love his brothers and sisters in Christ is to love God and to obey Him. And, if you love the parent, you will love the child. It all works together.
b. When we love God and keep His commandments: A Christian who does not love God or keep His commandments is of little effective use in the body of Christ. This is true even though he or she might be involved in much ministry and hold an official position of service in the church. i. When our love and obedience for God grows cold, we do not only harm ourselves- we harm our brothers and sisters also. The damage is done, at the very least, because we are a "drag" on the spiritual progress of God's people. ii. If we will not love and obey God for our own sake, then we should at least do it out of love for others.
c. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: To love God is also to keep His commandments. The one who says he loves God, yet walks in a lifestyle of conscious disobedience is like the believer who says they walk in fellowship with God, yet walks in darkness (as in 1 John 1:6)- they are lying. i. Surely, John had the words of Jesus in mind: If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15) ii. Simply, love for God will show itself in obedience. "Christians frequently attempt to turn love for God into a mushy emotional experience, but John does not allow this in his epistle." (Boice)
d. His commandments are not burdensome: Some Christians feel very burdened by the commandments of God, yet John instists that they are not burdensome. i. His commandments are not burdensome when we see how wise and good the commandments of God are. They are gifts from Him to show us the best and most fulfilling life possible. God's commands are like the "manufacture's handbook" for life; He tells us what to do because He knows how we work best. God's commands are not given to bind or to pain us, or because God is like an irritated old man. ii. His commandments are not burdensome because when we are born again, we are given new hearts - hearts which by instinct wish to please God. As part of the New Covenant, the law of God has been written on the heart of every believer (Jeremiah 31:33). iii. His commandments are not burdensome when we compare them to the religious rules men make up. John is not trying to say obedience is an easy thing. If that were so, then it would be easy for us to not sin, and John has already acknowledged that we all do sin (1 John 1:8). John is thinking of the contrast Jesus made between the religious requirements of the religious leaders of His day, and the simplicity of loving God and following Him. Jesus said all the rules and regulations of the Scribes and Pharisees were as heavy burdens (Matthew 23:4). In contrast, Jesus said of Himself, My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:30). Instead of the burdensome requirement to keep hundreds of little rules and regulations, Jesus simply says to us, "Love Me and love my people, and you will walk in obedience." iv. His commandments are not burdensome when we really love God. When we love God, we will want to obey Him and please Him. When you love someone, it seems little trouble to go to a lot of difficulty to help them or please them. You enjoy doing it, though if you had to do it for an enemy, you would be complaining all the time. Just as the seven years of Jacob's service for Laban seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her (Genesis 29:18), so obeying God's commands does not seem a burden when we really love Him. An old proverb says, "Love feels no loads."
3. (1 John 5:4-5) Being born of God is the source of victory.
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 the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
a. Whatever is born of God overcomes the world: John begins with a principle that is so simple, yet so powerful- if we are born of God, we will overcome the world. The idea that anything born of God could be defeated by this world was strange to John and it should be strange to us.
b. This is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith: Since believing on Him is the key to being born of God (1 John 5:1), the key to victory is faith. Not only an initial, "come-to-the-altar-and-get-saved" faith, but a consistently abiding faith, an ongoing reliance and trust upon Jesus Christ. i. John repeats the thought with the words, Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? The life of abiding faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the life that overcomes the pressures and temptations of the world. ii. Knowing who Jesus is - not just as a matter of facts or information, but as food for life- "fills the soul with so great things concerning him ... as to easily turn this world into a contemptible shadow, and deprive it of all its former power over us." (Poole)
c. Who is he who overcomes the world: This tells us we overcome primarily because of who we are in Christ, not because of what we do. We overcome because we are born of God, and we are born of God because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God- again, not in a mere intellectual sense, but we put our lives on the fact that Jesus is the Son of God for us. i. "Look at any Greek lexicon you like, and you will find that the word [faith or believe] does not merely mean to believe, but to trust, to confide in, to commit to, entrust with, and so forth; the very marrow of the meaning of faith is confidence in, reliance upon." (Spurgeon) ii. How is it we can become world-overcomers in Jesus?
- In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Because Jesus has overcome the world, as we abide in Him, we are overcomers in Jesus.
- John said of those who were growing in their walk with Jesus, you have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:13-14). As we walk with Jesus and grow in that walk, we will overcome our spiritual enemies.
- Overcomers have a special place in the world to come. Jesus promised to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Revelation 3:21).
- Overcomers overcome because the blood of Jesus overcomes Satan's accusations, the word of their testimony overcomes Satan's deceptions, and loving not their lives overcomes Satan's violence (Revelation 12:11).
B. The source of our relationship with God: Jesus Christ.
1. (1 John 5:6-8) Precisely identifying who Jesus, the Son of God is, the One on Whom we must believe.
6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
a. He who came by water and blood: John makes it clear that the Jesus he speaks of is not the Gnostic, "phantom" Jesus who was so holy He that he had nothing to do with this world. The Jesus we must believe on is the Jesus who came by water and blood; the Jesus who was part of a real, material, flesh-and-blood earth. i. John returns to a theme he started with in the beginning of the letter: the real, historical foundation for our trust in Jesus Christ. In 1 John 1:1-3 the emphasis was on what was seen and heard and looked upon and handled - real stuff, real people, real things. Just like water and blood are real, so was the coming of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
b. He who came by water and blood: Through the centuries, there have been many different ideas about exactly what John meant by this phrase. "This is the most perplexing passage in the Epistle and one of the most perplexing in the New Testament." (Plummer, cited in Boice) i. Some believe that water speaks of our own baptism, and blood speaks of receiving communion, and that John writes of how Jesus comes to us in the two Christian sacraments of baptism and communion (Luther and Calvin had this idea). Yet, if this is the case, it is doesn't add up with the historical perspective John had when he wrote "cameby water and blood." He seems to write of something that happened in the past, not something that is ongoing. ii. Others (such as Augustine) believe the water and blood describes the water and blood which flowed from Jesus' side when He was stabbed with a spear on the cross: But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). This was an important event to the apostle John, because immediately after this description of water and blood, he added in his gospel: And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe (John 19:35). Yet, if this was John's meaning, it is a little unclear how it can be said that Jesus came by water and blood. iii. Still others believe the water spoke of Jesus' first birth, being born of the "waters of the womb," and blood speaks of His death. If this is the case, John would be essentially writing, "Jesus was born like a man and died like a man. He was completely human, not some super-spiritual being who had no real contact with the material world." The Gnostics in John's day thought of Jesus as just such a super-spiritual being.
c. He who came by water and blood: Probably the best explanation (though there are good points to some of the other ideas) is the oldest recorded Christian understanding of this passage (first recorded by the ancient Christian Tertullian). Most likely, John means the water of Jesus' baptism, and the blood of His crucifixion. i. When Jesus was baptized, He was not baptized in repentance for His own sin (He had none), but because He wanted to completely identify with sinful humanity. When He came by water, it was His way of saying, "I am one of you." ii. When Jesus died on the cross, He did not die because He had to (death could have no power over Him), but He laid down His life to identify with sinful humanity and to save us from our sin. When He came by ... blood it was to stand in our place as a guilty sinner, and to take the punishment our sin deserved. iii. This explanation also probably connects the best with what Jesus said in John 3:5: Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. The being born of water in this passage speaks of the cleansing waters of baptism.
d. He who came by water and blood: Some taught (and still teach) that Jesus received the "Christ Spirit" at His baptism, and the "Christ Spirit" left Jesus before He died on the cross (for them, it is unthinkable that God could hang on a cross). But John insisted that Jesus did not only come by the water of baptism, but also by the blood of the cross. He was just as much the Son of God on the cross as He was when the Father declared, You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased (Luke 3:22) at the baptism of Jesus. i. We may find it difficult to relate to this ancient manner of trying avoid the offense of the cross by saying "It really wasn't the Son of God who hung on the cross." But in our modern age we have our own ways of trying to avoid the offense of the cross. Some deny Jesus was God at all, and just think of Him as a "noble martyr." Some trivialize the cross, making it a mere ornament in jewelry and pop fashion trends. Others replace the cross with a self-help, self-esteem gospel of psychology, or use a crossless evangelism.
e. It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth: The Holy Spirit also bears witness to the true person of Jesus, even as Jesus promised He would (He will testify of Me ... He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you, John 15:26 and 16:14). The consistent message of the Holy Spirit to us is, "Here is Jesus." i. "A priest was always ordained by sacrificial blood, cleansing water, and oil that spoke of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus also had these three witnesses to His priestly ministry." (Spurgeon)
f. The Spirit, the water, and the blood: These are all consistent witnesses in telling us who Jesus is. We can know that these three agree as one. It isn't as if the Spirit tells us one thing, the water another, and the blood says something else. Jesus' life, death, and the Spirit all tell us who Jesus is, and they tell us it in agreement.
3. (1 John 5:9-10) The witness of men and the witness of God.
9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
a. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: Everybody, everyday, receives the witness of men regarding various things. Therefore, we should have much more confidence in the witness of God when He tells us who Jesus is. i. John does not want us to believe with blind faith. Instead, our faith is
to be based on reliable testimony. And we have the most reliable testimony possible, the witness of God.
b. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself: When we believe on Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit as an inner confirmation of our standing before God. Romans 8:16 puts it like this: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God.
c. He who does not believe God has made Him a liar: When we refuse to believe on Jesus, we reject the testimony God has given of His Son. Therefore, we call God a liar with our unbelief. i. John here exposes the great sin of unbelief. Most everyone who refuses to believe God (in the full sense of the word believe) doesn't intend to call God a liar. But they do it nonetheless. "The great sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is often spoken of very lightly and in a very trifling spirit, as though it were scarcely any sin at all; yet, according to my text, and, indeed, according to the whole tenor of the Scriptures, unbelief is the giving of God the lie, and what can be worse?" (Spurgeon) ii. What if one says, "Well, I want to believe, but I can't." Spurgeon answers such a one: "Hearken, O unbeliever, you have said, 'I cannot believe,' but it would be more honest if you had said, 'I will not believe.' The mischief lies there. Your unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune. It is a disease, but it is also a crime: it is a terrible source of misery to you, but it is justly so, for it is an atrocious offense against the God of truth." iii. What if one says, "Well, I'm trying to believe, and I'll keep on trying." Spurgeon speaks to this heart: "Did I not hear some one say, 'Ah, sir, I have been trying to believe for years.' Terrible words! They make the case still worse. Imagine that after I had made a statement, a man should declare that he did not believe me, in fact, he could not believe me though he would like to do so. I should feel aggrieved certainly; but it would make matters worse if he added, 'In fact I have been for years trying to believe you, and I cannot do it.' What does he mean by that? What can he mean but that I am so incorrigibly false, and such a confirmed liar, that though he would like to give me some credit, he really cannot do it? With all the effort he can make in my favour, he finds it quite beyond his power to believe me? Now, a man who says, 'I have been trying to believe in God,' in reality says just that with regard to the Most High ... The talk about trying to believe is a mere pretence. But whether pretence or no, let me remind you that there is no text in the Bible which says, 'Try and believe,' but it says 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.' He is the Son of God, he has proved it by his miracles, he died to save sinners, therefore trust him; he deserves implicit trust and child-like confidence. Will you refuse him these? Then you have maligned his character and given him the lie." iii. Such rejection of God's testimony over time can lead to a place where a person is permanently hardened against God, to the place where they may be one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, as Jesus warned in Mark 3:28-29. What hope can there be for the one who persists in hearing what God says, and calling Him a liar?
4. (1 John 5:11-13) Assurance of life in the Son.
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
a. And this is the testimony: John, in the previous verse, just told us how serious the matter of receiving the testimony of God is. Now he will tell us what this testimony is.
b. That God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son: This is God's essential message to man; that eternal life is a gift from God, received in Jesus Christ. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. It is all about Jesus, and living in Jesus is the evidence eternal life.
i. "It is vain to expect eternal glory, if we have not Christ in our heart. The indwelling Christ gives both a title to it, and a meetness for it. This is God's record. Let no man deceive himself here. An indwelling Christ and GLORY; no indwelling Christ, NO glory. God's record must stand." (Clarke)
c. These things I have written to you who believe ... that you may know that you have eternal life: In stating the message so plainly, John hopes to persuade us to believe. Even if we already believe, he wants us to know that you have eternal life, so we can have this assurance, and so that you may continue to believe. i. The need to hear the simple gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ does not end once one embraces the gospel. We benefit by it, are assured by it, and are helped to continue in it as we hear it and embrace it over and over again.
d. That you may know that you have eternal life: John's confidence is impressive. He wants us to know that wehave eternal life. We can only know this if our salvation rests in Jesus and not in our own performance. If it depends on me, then on a good day I'm saved and on a bad day, I don't really know. But if it depends on what Jesus has done for me, then I can know.
