1 John 5:1-12 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 John 5:1-12. Let’s go!
1 John 5:1a (NIV)
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…
On verse 1a: I love how simple the apostle John makes it sometimes. If you believe Jesus is the Christ (the Saviour of the world), you are born of God and have life in Him. Simple.
1 John 5:1b-2 (NIV)
1…and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
On verses 1a-2: Earlier John was saying that one important way that we love God is by loving His children. Now John is taking it in the other direction: he’s saying that to love God’s children is to love God and carry out His commands. How is it that we love the children of God when we love God and obey His commands? Here are three ways that works.
First, when we love God and obey His commands, we set a good example for God’s other children to follow. When we lead by example, we love God’s children.
Second, when we love God and obey His commands, with that love and obedience comes blessing. After all, God’s commands are given to us not to take away our happiness, but to maximize it, both for us and for those around us. When you love God and obey His commands, there is a blessing that flows not just into your life, but into your home, your family, your children, your church and your city.
Third, when we love God and obey His commands, practically speaking that should mean that we’re loving our neighbour as ourselves, treating one another with grace, mercy, and compassion, bearing with one another in love, encouraging one another, praying for one another, speaking the truth in love, just as God commands us. So the best lovers of people are those who take seriously God’s commands about loving one another.
Given the above, we can better understand what John is saying in verse 1a when he says: “everyone who loves the father loves his child as well”. In other words, when you bless the parent of a healthy family, the children of that parent get blessed too. Likewise, when we love God and bless God, the children of God get blessed too.
1 John 5:3 (NIV)
3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
On verse 3: God gave us His commands not to give us more burdens or to take away our happiness, but ultimately to maximize our happiness. That is one reason why “His commands are not burdensome” (v3).
1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
On verses 4-5: In John 16:33, John quoted Jesus as saying, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” Now, here in verses 4-5, John says that through faith in Jesus, we overcome the world too. Praise God! Through faith in Jesus Christ, you are a champion and an overcomer. Going through trouble is a part of life, but through faith in Jesus Christ you can and will overcome.
1 John 5:6-8 (NIV)
6 This is the one who came by water and blood–Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
7 For there are three that testify:
8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
On verses 6-8: What does it mean that Jesus “came by water and blood”? I believe the best interpretation is that “water” refers to Jesus’ baptism (where the Father spoke about Jesus and said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased”), while “blood” refers to Jesus’ death on the cross. False teachers like Cerinthus were teaching that the Christ came “by water only” (v6); that is, they taught that Jesus and “the Christ” were two separate entities and that the spirit of the Christ came on a human being called Jesus at his baptism but left Jesus before he died on the cross. In contrast, John confirms that Jesus was, is and always will be the Christ. Both at his baptism and also even in death, even in blood, Jesus is still the Christ. The Holy Spirit who spoke through the Old Testament prophets also points to Jesus being the Christ. In this way the Spirit, the water and the blood all testify to Jesus being the Christ.
1 John 5:9-10 (NIV)
9 We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.
10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
On verses 9-10: Referring to how the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ baptism and Jesus’ death testify to Jesus being the Christ (v7-8), John says, “This is God’s testimony about his own Son”, and so how much more weight should we place on God’s testimony than any human being’s testimony (v9). When we believe Jesus to be the Son of God, we are in effect accepting and agreeing with God’s testimony about His own Jesus. We’re trusting in God’s Word and enjoying the blessing that flows from that trust. To refuse to believe that Jesus is God’s Son is to reject God’s testimony and to call God a liar (v10).
1 John 5:11-12 (NIV)
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
On verses 11-12: I am thankful that a Sunday school teacher of mine got me and my classmates to memorize these verses. These verses tell us clearly what it takes to have eternal life: if you got Jesus, you got life; no Jesus, no life.
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your powerful Word. I agree with what You say about Jesus: He is Your Son, whom You love, with whom You are well pleased. Thank You that it is my faith in Your testimony that gives me victory over every circumstance in life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
